Sly 4: The Lost Thief
by Jammin Jabala
Summary: Years after Sly 3 the gang has drifted apart, but when a Bentley discovers a secret about the Cooper Clan, its up to Sly and his freinds to solve the mystery. Join the gang as they embark on a journey to learn the Cooper Clan's secrets, and save the world
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Wow….I'm back. Hahaha it's not like I went anywhere or anything, I still stuck around the Sly fandom and read and reviewed, but I haven't really posted a Sly story since Murrays Past which, by the way, in a few days will be a year old :). Anyways, for awhile I was writing fics in other fandoms but something was wrong. I wasn't having fun. I love writing stories about the Sly Cooper characters because it's fun. So I deleted the stories I was writing that I didn't enjoy (most of them) and started writing a new SC fic. Sooooo here it is. Please R&R and enjoy Sly 4: The Lost Thief.

**CHAPTER 1**

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There are many reasons people love this beautiful city. People come to fall in love, and to possibly escape it. But the main reason Paris is loved so much, is the lights. Thus earning it the nick name "The City of Light."

Every night these beautiful lights come to life in dazzling show that is sure to boggle the mind. The night is a beautiful time for Paris, but not always. Sometimes the crime of Paris rears its ugly head. On nights like that, the scum of the beautiful city emerge from the underbelly and wreak havoc on citizens and tourists alike. These poor, innocent people sadly fall victim to muggings, kidnappings and many more horrible crimes. However, the local law enforcement is more than qualified to prevent these types of nights, so they don't happen often. Sorry friends, but this sadly, is one of those nights.

Somewhere in this beloved city, a man dressed in all black, including a mask, is running from the crime he just committed. Over his shoulder he carries a burlap sack, filled to the brim with something. Nervous looking, and sweating, the black clad man pulled out a cell phone. He continued running while dialing in a number rather quickly.

"Frank! Frank, where are you?" The man screamed into the phone.

"Exactly where I told you I was going to be! Now calm down, everything, like the boss said, is going according to plan." A voice said emerging from the phone. According to his tone, he was much more calm and collected than his partner.

Looking over his shoulder, the man carrying the sack blurted into the phone, "Well what about the cops? I feel like they're gonna pop out any minute!" Over his shoulder the man could obviously see there were no police officers chasing him, but this did not lessen his worries.

Frank, the man on the other end, sighed and continued trying to calm his partner down. "Rob, how many times do I have to go over this with you?" From the sound of it, Frank had done this many times before. "The boss was able to short circuit the banks security system, so nobody has any idea what you're doing."

"Okay but what about that Inspector Fox?" From how scared Rob sounded, it was obvious this was what was bothering him the whole time. "Or her partner, whatever his name is, they are the best there is. Just because the alarm didn't go off, doesn't mean they won't find out. I'm telling you, those two cops got a trick up their sleeve."

"Looks like I'm gonna have to tell you _this_ again to." Speaking slowly, Frank said, "Carmelita Fox and Sly Cooper are vacation. The boss planed this whole heist around the fact that those two would be gone." Now, this time, it was Franks turn to ask questions. "Why do you doubt the boss so much?"

Rob then quit running, almost falling over from the sudden stop. "Frank…I…I didn't mean it like that." Rob, this entire time, had been speaking in a tone of worry and fear, but this was different. Though he still sounded worried and afraid, this was for another reason. He was once scared of being caught, but was no scared by what might happen when he returned to the base.

"Well what did you mean, Rob?" Frank asked, only receiving Rob's panting as a reply. "Never mind just get here already." With that, Frank hung up leaving an even more terrified Rob alone. Rob looked behind him, adjusted his mask, and continued running.

Rob ran down the dark streets of Paris's bad neighborhood for a few more minutes. Occasionally beggars would approach him, only to be shoved aside. After several blocks, and still just as worried as he was on the phone, Rob spotted the place he was looking for: an alleyway no different looking than the rest. He quickly rushed into the alley and over to a nearby fire escape. Still lugging the sack behind him, Rob climbed the escape to the rooftops. Finally he spotted his destination. Three small roof tops away, a helicopter lied there with a pilot dressed in as much black as Rob, minus the mask. The fearful Rob gulped and leapt from extremely close roof top to the next. He soon reached the helicopter.

"Frank, get this thing started I wanna get out of here." Rob said to the Great Dane in the pilot's seat. He had black fur, was extremely muscular, and was giving Rob a "if looks could kill" kind of glare. Rob, now even more terrified, considering he was face to face with Frank, realized he should probably explain. "Okay Frank, look, it was an accident. You know I'd never talk bad about the boss. He's never steered us wrong, but you can't really blame me. I mean, me and most of the other guys have never seen him. How am I supposed to trust this so called "genius" when he just sends the plans through you?" There was an awkward silence, followed by a gasp from Rob, now realizing what he had said. "Frank I….please don't…" Rob was cut short by Frank leaping out of the helicopter and grabbing him by his collar.

"You leave me no choice, Rob. I'm telling the boss when we get back, end of discussion." Frank then released the shaking Rob, sending him to the floor. "Now get in." Frank returned to his pilot's seat as a hopeless Rob joined him in the passenger seat.

The duo buckled up in their seats as Frank began to flip a few switches. Soon Frank took a breath and reached for the controller. He firmly griped it and was ready for takeoff, until a sound shocked both of the criminals. It was loud and painful sounding, like something mettle being ripped from its machine. Actually, that's exactly what the sound was. After the sound erupted, the helicopter actually rocked a little bit.

"What the hell was that?" An already on edge Rob screamed. Frank, after a roll of the eyes, pulled a revolver from under his seat.

After making sure it was loaded Frank looked at the nervous, mask wearing face next to him. "I'll check it out. You just stay here and make sure the bag is safe." After receiving a nod in return, Frank left the chopper. Once outside there didn't seem to be anything wrong, but then he turned around to see something that would jeopardize their plan. The helicopters propeller had been ripped clean off. "Damn it!"

"What is it?" Rob asked, covering his face with the sack out of fear. "Is everything okay?"

"No its not! Where the hell did that freaking propeller go?" As Frank paced around in anger, he noticed something. A few rooftops away there was a helicopter, smaller than theirs (it almost looked like a toy), hovering, with a long tether below it. But this was not what caught his attention. Connected to the tether was a claw, and in the claws grip was their propeller. "What the…..Rob you gotta see this!" Rob was outside the helicopter in seconds. "Look at that thing. It's got our propeller." After saying this, Frank looked at Rob and the two erupted in laughter.

Rob took a breath and said, "That thing looks like toy. How they hell did it get _our _propeller?"

Wiping a tear away Frank answered, "Beats me, but don't worry about it. I'll just shoot it down and we will take the propeller back. I'm sure we've got enough tools in the chopper to reattach it." As he said this, he raised the revolver and aimed, this was followed by a sudden gun fire. It, however, wasn't his. A bullet whizzed by Rob's head and nailed Frank in the revolver hand. The Great Dane yelled in pain as he dropped his revolver and clutched his shot hand.

"Holy crap what…..uh oh." Rob said, his attention suddenly taken away from his partner's hand.

"Damn it, Rob! What the hell was that for?"

"That wasn't me." Rob said, pointing into the distance. Frank looked from his hand and the revolver on the floor, to where Rob was pointing. On the roof top next to propeller stealing, little helicopter sat a small toy car. It had an antenna topped with a flower, but what Frank looked at were its gun barrels. Two of these barrels were mounted on top, smoke emitting from one of them "What is this?" At this point, Rob was shaking in his boots.

"Nothing." Spat Frank, reaching for the pistol with his good hand. That's when it happened, seemingly, out of nowhere, someone landed on the roof top. They ran towards Frank and delivered a swift kick to his face. He wobbled backwards before collapsing near the roof's edge.

"Frank, what the hell is that?" Rob screamed. Running through town, being in trouble with the boss, the propeller being stolen, and now, this mysterious person who obviously wants to hurt them showing up, all had become too much for him. He took a quick look at their attacker. Him, her, or whatever it was had been dressed in a black trench coat, covering their body. They also had black combat boots, gloves, and a skull cap. There was also a scarf wrapped around the mouth and nose. The only thing visible was its eyes, two brown eyes wearing a large pair of glasses.

"I don't know," Said Frank, who now had a bloody lip to match his hand, "Just shoot it!"

Rob quickly dove for the revolver but it was kicked away. However, Rob _did_ receive a quick punch to the nose, sending him spinning. But before he could wobble away, the figure grabbed him by the collar. It then, with a sinister glare, pulled Rob's mask clean off. With the mask gone, Rob is seen to be a rat, a very skinny one with sickly green fur. After becoming less dizzy, he realized his mask was gone and felt his face.

"My mask!" Rob was then cut short when this mysterious person kneed him in the gut, and was then drop kicked in the face. The rat stumbled backwards, in the process running into the helicopter. With Rob collapsed on the floor, the person took a break, not knowing what was behind them.

Suddenly a voice erupted from its pocket and yelled, "Look out, Penelope!" The person in black, apparently known as Penelope, spun around to see Frank running at her with a knife. She quickly kicked the knife away, delivered many swift chops to the stomach, and super kicked him on top of Rob. Tired, and in pain, Rob and Frank just lied there, not wanting to fight back anymore.

The girl known as Penelope removed her hat and scarf to reveal she was indeed a girl. She had long blonde hair that was kept in a bun, until she released it letting the hair fall to mid back. She also had a small snout and had a sort of pinkish, purplish fur. Her ears, which drooped at the sides of her head, showed that she was a mouse. Penelope after clearing her throat pulled a strange device from the pocket the voice came from.

The device looked like a pair of binoculars, except for a few things. It had many odd things attached to it, like flashing lights and knobs. She raised it to her eyes and began speaking. "Thanks for that one, Bentley. I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

"Oh it's fine," a nasally voice on the other end said, "After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do" Penelope smiled and the voice, which belonged to a turtle named Bentley, continued. "Now, I've alerted Interpol that we've subdued our target and that the helicopter, the stolen content, and the criminals, of course, will be waiting for them to pick up. I've estimated that it should take them 15 minutes to arrive, so please hurry and tie those two up, and while you're at it check the helicopter and the contents of the bag. We need all evidence to be there for Interpol when they arrive, so just take pictures of anything important looking."

"Okay sure, but just one question."

"Yes?"

Penelope, feeling a little embarrassed, asked, "Um….how do you take pictures?" To Penelope's relief, Bentley thought it was funny and let out a chuckle.

"Ha-ha its okay. Just press the button labeled "R1" at the top of the camera." Bentley said this clearly and perfectly, as if he had said it many, many times before.

"Oh, okay I found it. Thanks, Bentley." Penelope noticed the "R1" button and took a picture of the pile that was Rob and Frank for practice. "Sorry that I'm not used to using a binocucom quite yet. I never had to use them that much before."

Bentley grinned and responded, "Perfectly alright. I need to get around to making one of your own, anyway. That old thing hasn't been used in ages, considering it used to be Sl…." Bentley suddenly stopped talking, but not because he forgot or he was interrupted, it was because he realized _what _he was talking about. Penelope had a mixed look of sadness and concern.

"Bentley, are you alright?" Penelope received no answer for what seemed like ages. However, a sigh was eventually heard and Bentley spoke.

"Yeah….yeah I'm fine. Just get back to the place as soon as possible." Bentley looked away from the binocucom, making it unable for Penelope to see his face.

"Okay." A worried Penelope simply replied, believing ending the conversation was the best.

"And Penelope!" Bentley quickly said before she hung up.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Penelope began to blush and her face of worry vanished, replaced by one of the biggest smiles ever. "I love you too." Bentley then showed a quick grin and hung up.

Bentley sat alone in his "home", a turned off binocucom in front of him. He looked at the desk in front of him, tears welling in his eyes. The force smile he had shown Penelope quickly faded and was replaced with a frown. The turtle, however, was not willing to cry. Though it was eating him up inside, he would not let it happen. No, not again.

The house that he was sitting in was a small, humble, but nice home. There was a small kitchen, a large living room, and three bedrooms, though only one was used now. Bentley was currently in the large living room, which contained the desk he was sitting behind, a couch in front of a T.V., and a bunch of weights that looked as if they hadn't been touched in ages.

Wiping away the tears in his eyes and sniffling, Bentley left the desk. He rolled away from behind the desk, considering he was in a wheel chair, and over to a hallway. The hallway contained five doors. One was a bland brown door that led to a bathroom, the others all very different. One, across from the bathroom was a green door. There was nothing on it except gold letters spelling the name _BENTLEY. _Obviously this room belonged to Bentley, but he was more concerned about the two others. Next to Bentley's was a pink door that had posters of, what looked like, wrestlers (it was hard to tell because of all the dust). Also, like Bentley's, there were gold letters, but these spelled _MURRAY. _Finally, Bentley looked from Murray's door to the one across. It was a blue and had a raccoon head, the symbol of the famous Cooper Gang, pasted in one of the upper corners. And just like the rest, it bore a name, this one being _SLY. _

Bentley then noticed that tears were once again forming. He shook it off and rolled to his door. He figured it would be best to go to bed, so he wouldn't have to deal with how he was feeling at the moment. But just as he reached for the door knob, something glimmered in the corner of his eye. He really wanted to ignore it. He wanted to pretend he'd never seen it and just lie down in bed and fall into a deep sleep, but Bentley, being the curious man he was, spun to face where the sparkle had come from. It had been from the door at the very end of the hallway, the fifth door. It was black and all it had on it was the famous Cooper gang symbol. A nearby window was open, causing the moon light to shine on the symbols metal surface.

Bentley _now _wanted to go to bed more than anything. He knew what lied beyond that door, and he really did not want to see it. The state he was in, opening it would send him into hysterical tears. But, for some reason, part of him wanted to see it. The house he was currently in was the place where he had spent most of his adult life, and he'd be lucky if he was able to see it _once _a year nowadays. Just exploring one time wouldn't be so bad, right? Well, that's what Bentley thought as he rolled himself to the door. Soon he was face to face with the Cooper Gang symbol. With a sigh he wiped the dust of the symbols surface, making it able for him to see his glasses wearing face. Bentley chuckled a little about how the reflection made him look, but he quickly stopped and got back to business. He placed a shaking hand on the door knob and turned. The door swung open so quickly that either Bentley really wanted it open, or the door itself was sick of being closed. But either way, it was open and Bentley rolled inside.

A/N: Well I hope everyone liked it. Sorry if it is a bit long for a few people, but I wanted to get allot of things set up for the second chapter, in which the event occurs that starts the gang's next big adventure. Wow I'm actually excited to be writing again! Lol so please R&R, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. Also is it wrong that listening to Digga Tunnah from the Lion King one and a half gets me extremely pumped? :) I am such al loser.

**CHAPTER 2**

The old wooden floor boards that made up the rooms floor creaked as Bentley entered the dark, dusty, and very stuffy room. Bentley, actually, had to clean his lenses after several dust particles attached to the glasses immediately. The turtle, after a few coughs, found a light switch. He gave it a flip and light flooded into the once dark room.

The lights revealed something that Bentley wouldn't give up for anything in the world. The walls were lined with picture frames that contained pictures, allot including Bentley, and newspaper clippings with titles like "_Cooper Gang Strikes Again" _or "_Cooper Gang Escapes Interpol Yet Again." _The room also contained glass cases and podiums, both of which held treasures, valuables, and memories. Bentley approached a podium nearest to him.

On top of a pillow, little, metallic black pieces lay in a pile. Bentley blew some dust of the podium's label and read "_Remains of the Hate Chip." _Bentley had an odd look. It looked as if he was happy and sad, the pieces bringing back a few good memories and many bad ones. He continued around the room looking at everything along the way, the whole time smiling with tears lingering in his eyes. A few exhibits he saw were _"The Fire Stone of India"_, _"Sly's Police File", "Bentley's Old Cross Bow", _and _"Murray's Dream Time Gear ." _There was also an assortment of valuables on the walls and in cases, but these were nothing compared to what was at the end of the room.

At the very end of the room there was a slim glass case with a single podium on both sides of it. Bentley, holding back his largest amount of tears ever, forced himself over to the case and its podiums. Once close enough, Bentley looked at the wall behind the case and podiums. It was like the rest, except for one thing. Across the wall in blue paint it read, _"Once a Thief, Always a Thief." _As Bentley read this in his head, he nodded. Then Bentley rolled over to the case's left podium. On it, covered by a small glass dome, was an extremely old and thick looking book. It had a tattered brown cover with gold corners and bore the Cooper symbol at the bottom. A single tear rolled down Bentley's cheek as he saw the book's title, _Thievius Raccoonus_.

Now this may seem odd. Why would a turtle like Bentley have this entire Cooper Gang memorabilia, and why would he be so sad about it? Well there is a simple answer to these questions, and it's that Bentley Turtle was once a member of the Cooper Gang, the most successful one, perhaps, off all time.

The Cooper Gang was a gang of thieves that had existed since ancient Egypt. The gang, ever since its humble beginnings, usually consisted of only three members. The Brains, the Brawn, and the Master Thief. Generation, after generation, Cooper's were born. They grew up, learned their skills from the Thievius Raccoonus, and started their own gangs. Usually, the Cooper would play the role of Master Thief and find two other thieves to fill the other spots. Well Bentley once held the title of Brains. He was the guy who created every plan, thought of every tactic, and invented devices that put the gang a step ahead of the competition. Bentley was a special turtle, for a special group of thieves.

The Coopers and their team mates, throughout history, had an odd way of being thieves. They only stole from fellow thieves and criminals, believing there was no honor, or thrill for that matter, in stealing from ordinary people, and Bentley's Cooper Gang was no different. They stole from the fiercest thieves of modern time. In fact, that's how they had the Thievius Raccoonus.

The Thievius Raccoonus was a book that had been in the Cooper family as long as the name. Every Cooper received this book, at a moment of the parents choosing, so they could have the tools to become a master thief. However tragedy struck one night when Sly Cooper, Bentley's friend and partner who led the gang and played Master Thief, had his eighth birthday. That night Sly was supposed to inherit the book, but fate had different plans. The Fiendish Five, a group of evil thieves led by the most evil thief of all time, broke into the Cooper's home and murdered Sly's parents. Clockwerk, who had been the Fiendish Five's leader, had hated the Cooper Clan more than anything. He was so jealous of their thieving success; he replaced his living, owl parts with metal and machine ones. This allowed him to live forever. With Sly's parents dead, Clockwerk split the books pages up amongst his colleagues and fled, leaving a now orphaned Sly alive. This was unknown to him.

With no parents, Sly was dumped at the "Happy Camper Orphanage." Here he met Bentley along with Murray. Murray was also a very good friend of Bentley, in fact Bentley considered him and Sly his older brothers, the feelings were mutual. Anyway, Murray had played the role of muscle and getaway driver. At the orphanage the three clicked so well, they became a family. At the age of nine, they had already formed a gang and were stealing cookie jars and books from Mrs. Puffin, the head of the orphanage. Eventually the three became too old for the orphanage and ventured out together. The three spent many years together, officially forming the gang and stealing from some of the biggest crime lords in the world. They also met Carmelita Fox, an Inspector from Interpol who Sly fell in love with on sight.

Soon it was time to take back Sly's birth right. With Bentley and Murray at his side, Sly took out the members of the Fiendish Five one by one, and eventually reaching Clockwerk. After one of the most terrifying moments of the gang's life, Sly defeated Clockwerk and left not only with the full Thievius Raccoonus, but also a kiss from Carmelita.

Bentley let out a laugh, remembering the day that He, Sly and Murray had finally collected all of the Thievius Raccoonus pages. After Sly had stolen a kiss from Carmelita, he left her hand cuffed to the bridge they stood on and leapt into the van. Bentley remembered when they were driving away from Krack-Karov Volcano, with him yelling at Sly, Murray laughing his head off, and the raccoon himself wearing a big smile, like it was yesterday.

"_Those were the days." _Bentley said in his head, before noticing the many tears on his face. After sniffling, he quickly wiped them away and left the book alone. He rolled passed the glass case and over to the podium on its right side. This podium in particular held something very different then what lied on the others.

Bentley looked at the pile of clothes on the podium with a smile. A pair of white boots, a white towel, a big pair of goggles, two red gloves, and a matching red mask all lied there neatly.

"Murray." Bentley seemed surprise. He hadn't let that name escape his lips in ages. However, he ignored this and began reminiscing.

All these clothes had once belonged to Murray Hippo, who, along with Sly, was his best friend. Bentley had always loved Sly like a brother, but Murray and Bentley always had an unwavering connection. Bentley had been in the orphanage with Murray longer than Sly. Bentley really cared about Sly, but there was always something about Murray. They were both so different, yet got along perfectly.

Murray was a hippo who not only was the gangs muscle, but also the getaway driver. Obviously, being the brawn, Murray was very large, very tough, and not very smart, but this did not change the person he was on the inside. Murray, though having a tough exterior, had a heart of gold. He cared deeply for his friends, and as long as no one harmed said friends, he was able to find the best in everyone. Murray, also, was rather sensitive. Remembering this factor brought back bad memories for Bentley.

Two years after the gang's defeat of Clockwerk, the evil owl once again reared his ugly head. A museum in Egypt was displaying Clockwerks parts, but the trio knew how dangerous the parts were. Thus, Bentley, Sly and Murray set out to steal the parts and destroy them. Unfortunate for them, they arrived to discover a group of criminals known as the Klaww Gang had already taken the parts. So, the Cooper Gang left Egypt to start the next big adventure.

Now this journey was definitely an experience for Bentley. For the first time, Bentley went out into the field, planed some extremely hard operations, and had even defeated one Klaww Gang member, but that wasn't it. Bentley left their second adventure with more than the experience.

The Gang traveled around the world stealing the Clockwerk Parts, only for them to being stolen from them. During a mission in Canada the small bird Arpeggio, the Klaww Gang's leader, stole of the parts they had collected. Having no choice, the gang snuck onto his blimp to take back the parts. There they discovered something horrible.

Now that Arpeggio had all of the parts in his possession, he was able to reconstruct Clockwerk. The flightless bird planed on melding himself with the monster to gain immortality. However someone spoiled his plans, but it wasn't the Gang. Constable Neyla was Carmelita's partner, who behind the Fox's back, helped the gang out. Upsetting everyone, it turned out to all be a ruse. Neyla betrayed Carmelita and the gang and revealed she was working for the Klaww Gang the whole time. But Neyla wasn't done betraying people yet. With a crack of the tigress's whip, she leapt into Clockwerk, melded with it, and killed her former boss Arpeggio.

With Neyla now in control of Clockwerk, or Clock-La as Neyla called it, went on a rampage. Luckily, however, Inspector Fox arrived and helped Sly defeat the machine. Then Neyla, still inside of Clockwerk, died when the evil bird plummeted to its death in the streets of Paris. But the bird refused to give up. It still had a little juice in it, and the gang planed on stopping it. They planned on having Murray lift the heap that was Clock-La's beak, while Bentley crawled inside and removed the hate chip, which was its center of power. Sadly, there are some things that not even Murray is strong enough to lift.

Unable to hold it any longer, the beak slipped out of Murray's hands and slammed shut. Even worse, it slammed shut on top of Bentley's legs. In a panic, Murray was able to pull Bentley out, hate chip in hand. So with Bentley in the hippo's arms, Murray and Sly ran away from the explosion that finally killed Clockwerk.

Tears once again returning to his face, Bentley remembered what followed after the destruction of Clockwerk, the hate chip, and his legs. He was placed in a wheel chair, but that wasn't that bad part. A depressed and upset Murray continued to blame himself for Bentley's handicap and ultimately left the gang, despite all of Sly and Bentley's protests.

This memory of Murray was by far the saddest. Sure Murray dropped the beak, but it wasn't his fault. That beak was huge and made of sold steel, even the strongest man in the world would have buckled beneath it. Sadly, Murray couldn't realize this and still left, not knowing how Bentley felt. Bentley felt fine. He was able to realize that, besides meeting the guys and Penelope, the wheel chair was the best thing to ever happen to him. It made him faster, stronger, and gave him an entire new range of abilities. If anything, Bentley should have thanked Murray.

Forcing one last look at Murray's gear, Bentley wiped away more tears and left this podium as well. At last, Bentley had reached the tall glass case that contained, quite possibly, the most important thing in the room. There, in the case, stood a long cane of some sort. It was made mostly of wood, except the very top. The top of the cane was a sharp, golden hook. The cane also has a red pouch dangling from it, along with a Sly Cooper calling card. Yes indeed, this cane once belonged to Conner Cooper, and the greatest Cooper of all, Sly Cooper.

Bentley took a deep breath, feeling the tears that were trying to escape his brown eyes. This cane brought back sad memories of the last time he'd seen Sly, or the rest of the gang for that matter.

It had taken place a year after the whole Clockwerk part fiasco. Bentley and Sly had discovered a man known as "Big" Jim McSweeny. Apparently McSweeny was a member of Conner Cooper's, Sly's father, Cooper Gang. He, like Murray, was the muscle of the team. Anyway McSweeny has contacted Sly through messages sent by pigeons. When Sly visited him at the prison he was being held in, the tatted walrus revealed something about the Cooper Clan even Sly didn't know.

Somewhere, on the Kaine Island, was vault. But this wasn't just some vault. No this was a Cooper Clan vault, and behind it lied something every thief would kill for. The vault, ever since Slytankhamen had created it, had held the Cooper Gang fortune. When every Cooper had retired and finished their thieving days, they traveled to this vault and locked their fortune behind it. Not surprising, Sly was determined to find his inheritance.

Sly was disappointed to find that Dr. M, a psychotic mandrill, had already set up shop. From the looks of it he had been trying to open the vault for years, but to no success, considering only a Cooper Gang cane can open it. But after examining M's fortress, Bentley and Sly realized it was going to take more than a cane to get to the vault. They needed a group of world class thieves.

So over the following months they traveled around the world, meeting new people, and a few familiar faces, and allowing them to join the gang. However before any of this they traveled to Venice in search of Murray. The once fight first, ask questions later hippo was now living a life of peace. He had spent several months with an outback mystic simply known as the Guru, who trained Murray in the ways of dream time. Now, this Guru had sent Murray out on a walk about, spreading his teaching across the world. Bentley and Sly wanted Murray back on the team very badly, but just asking him wasn't what it would take. No, Sly and Bentley had to wait until Don Octavio, the local mob boss, attacked Bentley. Seeing his friend in danger lit a fire in Murray's stomach and "The Murray" was reborn.

So after Octavio's defeat, and a tearful welcome back, Murray rid himself of his tribal robes and put the mast and gloves back on. But having Murray back wasn't going to cut it. So the gang continued their journey. From Australia, where they got Murray's Guru to join, to Holland where the love of Bentley's life, Penelope, joined. They continued to China were the Panda King, former Fiendish Five member now gone spiritual, brought his explosive expertise to the Gang. And finally, against their will, Dimitri Lousteau joined, who like Panda King had once been an enemy considering he had been a former Klaww Gang member. So now with seven people, making it the largest Cooper Gang ever, Sly decided it was time.

Sly, Bentley, Murray and the rest of the team stormed the Kaine Islands, ready to enter the vault. But that's when things fell apart. Sly ran into Dr. M, who took the time to reveal that he was the brains of the previous Cooper Gang and that he had always hated Sly's father, claiming he took all the credit. M's words were hurtful, but affected Bentley in a different way than the rest. Bentley started to believe that the Coopers were just a bunch of attention hogs, but this feeling ended when Sly took him and Murray into the vault, well as far as they could go. Sly bid his friend good bye and entered the inner chamber, not knowing it was the last time he'd see Murray or Bentley.

Sly, with once again help from Carmelita, was able to defeat Dr. M, but not without injury. During the battle M had sent Sly crashing into the wall, knocking him out. But after the mandrill was defeated Carmelita woke Sly to discover he had amnesia, not remembering anything at all. Carmelita, now truly expressing how she felt for Sly, fibbed by telling him he was Constable Cooper, her partner. So leaving M to die, Bentley, Murray, Sly, and Carmelita escaped the collapsing vault, separately of course.

Bentley, Murray, Penelope, Guru, Panda King, and even Dimitri spent the next day searching for Sly. They scoured the jungle for hours and eventually found something, but it wasn't Sly. In a cave, deep in the jungle, the gang discovered Sly's cane, his red pouch, a calling card, and a large portion of the Cooper Vault fortune. The group store into the cave, now realizing that Sly had left with Carmelita willingly and had not faked amnesia. Everyone knew it, but no one said it. Sly had left the gang.

So here we are, Bentley standing in front of Sly's cane, holding back tears as best he could. When Sly left the gang, that's when things started changing. Without a Cooper, there was no Cooper Gang. So, knowing that it was all over, the gang started drifting apart. Panda King, the first to leave, returned to his daughter in China. The Panda King was soon followed by Dimitri, who had moved to the Bahamas to follow his dreams of becoming a professional skin diver. A few weeks after the frog man's departure, Murray had completed his training with the Guru, and after that the student bid his former master goodbye. It was definitely sad for Murray, but he was happy to know the Guru had a whole new group of students. Rumors had it that few were even rock stars.

The time that followed the Guru's departure was a bitter sweet experience. Over the course of their adventure together, Penelope and Bentley had fallen in love and started going out. Also Bentley was overwhelmed with happiness and sorrow when Murray informed him he was leaving. With the Cooper Gang over and everyone leaving to follow their dreams, Murray believed it was his turn to follow his dreams as well. So after one of the longest, hug filled and tearful goodbyes in history, Murray left Bentley and Penelope for America too become a race car driver.

Bentley let a smile escape his lips as he remembered the years that followed the gang's break up. Sure it was sad, but with Sly gone and the gang over, Bentley, Murray and the others were allowed to branch out. They started new lives, free of the crimes they had committed in the past. Murray had successfully become a race car driver with the team van, starting in independent circuits and working his way up to the pros. Dimtri's dreams, surprisingly, came true as well. He became a pro skin diver and often sent pictures of him in his diving gear, surrounded by money and women. The Guru and Panda King continued their peaceful lives, but with one difference. While Panda King calmly lived in his home in China, the Guru seemed to always be on the run from the press due to his famous pupils.

It seemed that the only members of the gang who remained together were Penelope and Bentley. Not only that, but they also were the only ones to continue their thieving ways. They made a new Cooper Vault, smaller but with even more security. There they kept the loot they collected together. However, the two geniuses were not just thieves. The duo had helped Interpol on several occasions, maybe even more than they stole. But in the end, Penelope and Bentley always did what was best for them, not Interpol or the criminals they stole from.

Over the years, the gang had stayed in contact. Murray and Bentley often visited each other and continued exchanging e-mails. Sometimes the hippo and turtle would even get letters from Sly, but this was only when he was able to sneak it by his partner, and now girlfriend, Carmelita Fox. Every Christmas the gang would get back together at one members house, except for Sly of course. They'd catch up with each other and often reveal news that surprised everyone. In fact, Bentley recalled one Christmas at Murray's where his friend and brother informed everyone he had a girlfriend, Morrigan DuBois. Bentley also remembered how people would often ask how Sly was doing. This was because even though Sly now worked with Interpol, the smart turtle kept a close eye on his pal. Everyone laughed one year when Bentley said he spotted Inspector Fox and Constable Cooper dancing at the policemen's ball. Yes it seemed that even though the gang was over, Bentley thought the good times would never end. He had no idea how wrong he was.

It all started on Christmas of 2008, three years after the Cooper Vault event. That year's Christmas was supposed to be at Panda King's, but everything was cancelled when Jing King, his daughter, had gotten engaged. He was so focused on the wedding he forgot his friends and was forced to cancel their Christmas party. Everyone though calmly accepted this and spent their first Christmas, in a long time, apart. "There will always be next year," Bentley said, but yet again he was wrong.

The team spent Christmas of 2009 apart as well. During that year, everyone's lives changed immensely. Murray was now one of the highest paid race car drivers in the world, traveling from country to country winning every trophy possible. Dimitri, however, wasn't as lucky as Murray. Due to the bad economy, and the lounge lizards reckless spending, Dimitri had lost his job, money, and girlfriends. Desperate he resorted back to a life of crime, was caught, and thrown back into prison with a five year sentence. Guru also had his own problems. He had finished teaching the rock stars, and when they revealed who their teacher was, the paparazzi attacked the koala with a barrage of questions. Confused and afraid, the Guru ran and was eventually on the run from said paparazzi. Over in China, nothing was really different for Panda King, except his new son-in-law. With the wedding over, the panda was now focused on getting the couple a house and jobs that would be able to support them. Everyone was so caught up in their own affairs, another Christmas was cancelled.

With Dimitri back in jail and Guru in hiding, it seemed that things couldn't get much worse, but they did. Bentley and Penelope's jobs as thieves who worked on both sides of the law sky rocketed. They now traveled around the world, setting up several homes and safe houses along the way. However, this combined with the things happening to the rest of the gang, made it very hard to stay in touch. Murray's e-mails came much slower and this made Bentley lucky if he heard from Murray once every few months. With the former criminals drifting apart, Bentley had become extremely depressed and desperate to complete his time machine. Originally he had began making it to travel to the future, but now only wanted it to go back in time and relive the good old days.

No longer able to take the tears in his eyes and the memories in his head, Bentley buried his face in his hands and began sobbing. "Why? Why does it have to be this way?" Bentley continued crying and forced out the words, "Why can't I just go back? Just one time is all I need. Damn time machine!" When Bentley said the words "time machine" there was a hint of anger in his voice.

The day was June 25 2010 and Bentley had given up the time machine back in January. He had been working on it since the gang broke up, making it five years. Bentley had, had many problems with the machine, but in January, when it refused to work after Bentley had completely changed its wiring, he snapped. The infuriated turtle destroyed five years of work with several of his bombs. Penelope was relieved that the center of Bentley's attention was gone, but it did not lessen his depression. If anything, it worsened it. With his only chance of going back in time gone, Bentley was forced to face the sad present.

Dimitri was still in prison, Panda King was still in China, Guru was still nowhere to be found, Murray was still racing, and Sly was still working with Carmelita, now living with her. And Bentley, with a worried Penelope always at his side, was still traveling the world, working on both sides of the law.

Penelope, worried about her boyfriend's constant depression, had always tried to keep his mind off of Sly, Murray and the rest. She even had gone to the lengths of tracking down criminals for them to capture. Currently they had been after a large group of thieves they had heard about a few months back. What was odd about this group of organized crime was they stole stuff that didn't relate to each other at all. One day they'd steal a statute from a museum in Greece, and the next a case of diamond rings from a jewelry store in the United Kingdom. Another odd thing was how they stole said items. For unknown reasons, the group was able to shut down all security systems until the next morning. This allowed them to steal what they came for without leaving evidence.

The group had barely escaped Bentley and Penelope each time, but the two were always able to catch a glimpse at the thieves. They always wore black and sometimes they'd be in groups of two, others in groups as large as fifteen. It was obvious that this group of thieves was very large and had many members. Bentley had suspected that it was simply a large group of organized crime being led by some rich mafia boss, but nowadays he never really thought about it. It seemed that even when with Penelope, who he loved more than anything, Bentley couldn't get thoughts of Sly, Murray, Guru, Panda King, and even sometimes Dimitri, out of his head. He missed them so, so much. Bentley knew he was smart, but he also felt without friends he was useless. If it weren't for Penelope the turtle knew he'd have gone mad by now.

"If only I knew five years ago, that here is where I'd be I'd," Bentley's voice trailed off as he continued sobbing in his hands. But the tears that seemed never ending stopped all of a sudden. He heard the door to the safe house open and someone step inside. It had to be Penelope, considering he had locked the door and they were the only two with a key.

"Bentley! You here!" Hearing Penelope's call and footsteps made Bentley pull out his thick glasses. He quickly wiped away the tears and placed the glasses over his red, puffy eyes.

"_Mustn't let her see me like this._" Bentleyremembered how sad Penelope became when she saw him sad so he quickly spun around. He sped towards the open door way but was stopped when his beautiful girlfriend, now back in her usual overalls and yellow shirt, entered.

Frozen in place, Bentley stared at Penelope's look of sadness and disappointment. "Bentley, I asked you not to come in here." Penelope herself had to actually hold back a tear of her own. "You know, every time we come to Paris and stay here you _have _to come in this room. You know how upset it makes you."

Pressing his glasses closer to his eyes, Bentley responded, "I'm fine, Penelope. I swear." However, Bentley knew his cover had been blown. He had no idea how raspy his voice had become from all the crying. With the same face she had on entering, Penelope slowly approached Bentley and removed his glasses, allowing her to stare into a pair of puffy, red eyes.

Penelope shuddered, as if she felt the same pain as the turtle she loved so much felt. "Bentley," Penelope said placing a hand on his green cheek, "Why did you come in here?"

"I just…..I just wanted a reminded of the way it used to be." Bentley took Penelope's free hand in his own. "Don't get me wrong, Penelope. I love you more than words can express, but sometimes I….I…"

"You miss Murray and Sly." When Bentley heard his sentence completed he simply nodded. "I understand, but we can't dwell on this. I know it hurts Bentley, I miss them to. But there is no use dwelling on it. Everyone else has moved on, it's time we do so as well."

Bentley squeezed Penelope's hand tighter and whispered, "But….but what if they miss us to. I mean, if there is just a chance that Murray, or anyone else wants to see me we could go and," Penelope frowned, making Bentley stop.

"Bentley, when was the last time you heard from anyone?" There was silence. "Look, I love you and if there is anything I've learned over these past five years it's that as long as I'm with you, I'm happy." Bentley smiled and blushed a little at the same time. Penelope smirked and motioned towards the door with her head. "Now come on, let's order some pizza and I'll show you what I found in the helicopter."

Bentley smirked. "No tomato topping though. You know I'm allergic."

Penelope rolled her eyes and laughed. "How could I forget?" So Penelope and Bentley separated and they began exited through the door, but that's what happened. On the way out, Bentley slammed the door shut, and this little slam started his next adventure. Bentley and Penelope were about to head to the kitchen, when on the other side of the door, they heard crash. The two exchanged worried glances and rushed back inside the room.

Once back in the room full of Cooper Gang memorabilia, Bentley and Penelope saw the ground was covered in glass and the glass case that contained the cane was gone. "We have to clean this up." Bentley said, to which Penelope nodded. She ran out of the room to get something to sweep the glass up with.

Bentley began to worry. The cane was nowhere to be found. He saw the calling card next to him, covered in glass, and the red pouch was somewhere in the corner but no cane. Bentley slapped himself for slamming the door so hard. If it had been any harder, he might have caused the other glass cases to fall over. Bentley looked over to where the glass case once stood. The podiums still stood, holding Murray's gear and the Thievius Raccoonus in place. However, behind the wooden stand the case used to stand on, Bentley could see the cane…..well at least half of it.

"Oh no!" Bentley yelled as he rolled towards the cane, hoping his fears weren't true. Unfortunately, like most of the time, he was correct. Next to the stand was half of the cane, and a few inches away the other. Bentley picked up the nearest half, the one with the hook on it, and stared. Hyperventilating, and sweat pouring down his face, a shocked Bentley forced out the word, "Crap."

"What's wrong?" Penelope asked this from the doorway, a brush in one hand and a dust pan in the other. Bentley, jaw dropped, turned to face Penelope presenting his cane half. "No…no! It's okay we can fix that with umm…..some duck tape!" Penelope, equally worried as Bentley, rushed over and grabbed the other half off the ground. "Hey, maybe we will be to put them back together without the tape."

Penelope took the part Bentley held and began trying to jam the two together. But while Penelope tried attaching the two together, Bentley was focusing on something else. When Penelope snatched Bentley's half, something fell out of it and rolled a few inches away. Bentley's look of worry quickly became one of curiosity. Ignoring Penelope's fiddling with cane, Bentley rolled towards what fell out of the cane and picked it up. With it now in his hand, Bentley saw it was a very, very old and rolled up piece of paper. After looking for a few minutes, Bentley unrolled the paper to see it looked like a letter. The hand writing was rather sloppy, as if the writer had written in on a time limit. Bentley was about to criticize the handwriting when he gasped.

Upon further examination, the turtle discovered the paper was addressed to Sly Cooper from none other than his father, Conner Cooper.

"I fixed it!" Penelope proclaimed, after finally forcing the two pieces to attach. "I guess the cane was always able to split in half. Who knew?" After a few seconds of no response, Penelope looked over to her boyfriend. She saw him reading the strange paper he had found in the cane. "What do you got there, Bentley?"

Bentley looked over his shoulder and motioned for Penelope to come closer, which she did. "Penelope, check this out. I found this old paper in Sly's cane. It's from his father." Penelope then came even closer so she could see the paper over Bentley's shoulder. They exchanged similar looks of surprise, and began reading.

"_Dear Sly,  
Son if you are reading this, I am most likely dead. As I write this a gang known as the Fiendish Five is breaking into our home and you are hidden in a closet. Now I know this is frightening for you, and I am unsure of what my fate is, but please understand that all things happen for a reason. Just remember, that no matter what, your mother and I will always be with you._

_Now Sly, I don't have much time to explain, but there is something you need to know. I felt I could wait until you were a man to tell you this, but it seems I won't get that chance. I have no time to enter this into the Thievius Raccoonus, so I will be hiding in the cane's secret compartment. I just pray that you will one day find it. You have a cousin, Sly. I know this may come as a shock to you, but you weren't always supposed to be the next Cooper Thief. This is because your ancestor known as Tennessee "Kid" Cooper had, had many children with several women. So that there wouldn't be tons of Cooper Gangs running around, he made a rule that only the eldest son (his being Thaddeus Winslow Cooper) of each Cooper generation was allowed to be the next thief. I was older than my younger brother, so I became the next thief._

_However, my brother had a son two years before me. Something you must also know is your uncle was a horrible man. I can't go into depth, but he taught your cousin horrible, horrible things. Things no thief should ever use. And on the day he was supposed to inherit the Thievius Raccoonus, your cousin was nine at the time while you we six, he vanished, allowing you to become the next thief. Your uncle died shortly after. _

_I have no idea if he is still alive, but one thing was found at the scene of his disappearance: a receipt for two tickets to Cairo, Egypt. Like I said, I don't know if he is even alive or still in Egypt, but if there is a chance you have to take it. With me gone, you and your cousin are the last of the Coopers. I don't want you to feel alone in this big world. So please, as my last request, find you cousin when you think you are ready. But just remember th (_It was blank for a few spaces as if he had stopped writing for a few seconds.) _Son, they are coming. My mother and I love you very much and, like I said, we will always be with you._

_Love your Father, Conner Cooper." _

Penelope and Bentley finished at the same time and exchanged the same look, jaws dropped and eyes wide. There was long, eerie silence as Bentley rolled the old paper up. Realizing that Bentley didn't want to speak first, Penelope decided to ask a question.

"So….what do you make of this?" Penelope took the rolled up paper from Bentley, just to make sure it was real. Bentley just sat there, jaw still open.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours to the mouse and turtle, Bentley closed his mouth and did the exact opposite of what Penelope expected. With one of the biggest smiles he'd ever had, Bentley shouted, "What do I think about this? What do I think about this? Penelope, do you know what this means?"

Penelope, slightly creped out, answered, "Um no, that's kind of why I asked you." Bentley just looked at her, with the same huge smile. "Bentley, no offense, but you're kind of freaking me out." Bentley just laughed.

"Penelope, think about it! This is Conner Cooper's last request. He wanted Sly to find the only other Cooper. Do you understand now?" Penelope, still looking at him oddly, shook her head. "It means we can get the gang back together! You, me, Murray, Guru, Panda King, not Dimitri, and Sly! I mean sure he's with Interpol, but if Carmelita loves him as much as I think, she'll allow him to go looking for this long lost relative." Penelope was no longer freaked out, but actually rather upset. Bentley was so happy he had not noticed all of the holes in his plan, but she did. "It's perfect! It might take awhile with tracking him down and what not, but it seems Egypt is the best place to start. Hell I'll just go and buy tickets right…." Bentley was stopped from exiting the room the room by Penelope, who was currently holding his arm. "What's wrong?"

Penelope sighed; she was not going to enjoy this. "Bentley, just think, you are usually good at that. Sly's dad even said it. We have no idea if this cousin is even alive. Also, I don't think getting the gang back is going to be so easy. Murray is a world traveling racer, we have no idea where Guru even is, you know how attached to his daughter PK is, and getting Sly is much easier said than done." Penelope's heart broke as she saw Bentley's smile suddenly become a frown. She took a breath and continued, "I mean, him and Carmelita are in love as much as you and I. I don't think Sly will leave that life so easily, even for a cousin. I mean he left you and Murray, and you two were like his family so…" Penelope stopped. She had now noticed Bentley had his head bowed, face hidden.

There was a silence, one much longer than the one that followed the letter, but someone eventually spoke. It was Bentley. His head was still bowed and his voice was barely above a whisper, but he did speak. "Penelope," His girlfriend nodded, so he knew she could hear him. "I…..I need this. This life, working on both sides of the law, isn't enough. It was good for a few years, but then everyone disappeared. I love you but I just…..I miss them so much." A single tear rolled down Bentley's cheek and fell to the floor. "It won't even be a real adventure. We'll get together, got to Egypt, and if we can't find anything we will leave. No questions asked." Bentley gulped and repeated what he said first, "I need this." Penelope sighed and left the room.

Bentley wanted to call after her, but he didn't get chance. This was because Penelope returned in a few seconds, now grinning with a news paper in her hand. She tossed it into Bentley's lap. Bentley looked up at Penelope confused, but she just said, "Look at the front page."

Bentley held the paper up to his eyes. He gasped, for on the front cover there was a picture of Murray, in front of the van and holding a trophy. Bentley read the front cover aloud; still a little shocked from the picture. "American hippo to represent the U.S. in international racing tournament." He shrugged, not knowing what to make of this article.

Penelope sighed and answered, "You said you wanted to get the gang back together. Well, what better way to start then with Murray?" Bentley looked at her, a mix of shock and happiness on his face. "I will do anything to make you happy Bentley, and if this is it then so be it. And truth be told….I miss them to." Bentley burst into smile and hugged Penelope tightly. When he released her they looked into each other eyes and kissed.

And so began the biggest challenge and adventure the gang had ever faced.

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing the ending for this chapter. I feel it really means allot to fans of Sly who are very desperate for a sequel. Anyways, like I said I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you like it as much as I do. Also, one thing you guys should know is the missions can't start until the gang is back together, so you might have to wait till chapter 4. SORRY! Alright guys, as usual please keep reviewing, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. However, I do own the character of Seymour "Slick" Samuels and I co-own the character of Morrigan DuBois with **MasterofHearts1313. **Also I've been listening to Lion King lately. I just finished Can You Feel the Love Tonight and I realized that Timon and Pumba's part at the beginning and end reminds me of how Bentley and Murray feel about Sly and Carmelita's relationship hahahaha.

**CHAPTER 3**

Today was shaping up to be one of the happiest days of Bentley's life. He was currently in an old and shabby bus, which was filled to the brim with people. However, this of course was not why he was happy. He was happy because, for the first time in what felt like forever, Bentley would be seeing Murray.

It had been a week since Penelope and Bentley had found the letter from Sly's dad and over that time Penelope had "bought" two tickets to the first round of the tournament he'd be competing in. It was being held in Monaco, where the streets were flooded with racing fans of all nationalities. Very early that morning they had boarded a train that had traveled from Paris all the way to Monaco, where they got on bus that was currently on its way to the stadium.

Bentley should have been tired, but he wasn't. He store wide eyed out of the dirty window, looking at the civilians below who were all heading to the same place as them. Bentley looked at Penelope, still wide eyes and smiling. "Thank you so much, Penelope." Penelope, hearing her name, snapped out of her trance and looked at Bentley. Her hair was messy and there were some bags under her eyes.

Obviously tired from the long trip, Penelope forced out the words, "No problem, Bent. I'm just glad to be seeing Murray again." Bentley let out a snort of laughter, now taking a good look at Penelope's frizzy hair. Embarrassed, Penelope slapped Bentley's arm with a little snicker. "Shut up…..man there better be some coffee at the stadium." Bentley and Penelope laughed together, receiving several strange looks from the fellow bus passengers.

Bentley, after people started looking away, decided to talk to Penelope about one thing that was bothering him. He had been thinking about it since last night, but only now had decided to bring it up. "What do you think Murray is going to say?"

Penelope smirked and let out a laugh. "About your disguise? It's alright. I know we're supposed to look American, but the mustache and hat are a bit much." Bentley snickered. The two, since they were rooting for Murray, had selected disguises that matched the apparel of American citizens. Bentley was sitting in his usual wheel chair and wore a flannel shirt. He also had a large, brown, and fake mustache, and had topped it all off with a cowboy hat. Penelope, wanting to be a bit more casual, wore jeans, sneakers, and a white shirt that read _U.S.A. _"What about mine?"

"You look fine, but the disguises aren't what I'm worried about. What will Murray _say_? You know when we show up and ask him to come back?" Penelope began to think about it, while Bentley continued. "Murray is like my brother, but I don't think he is going to give up being a part of this _huge _tournament just to go looking for Sly's cousin."

Penelope placed a hang on Bentley's shoulder and looked him in the eye. Smiling, she simply said, "If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. Also Murray is great guy, you know that. He'll do whatever is right." Bentley nodded.

"What would I do without you?"

"You'd probably be on the couch crying and drowning your sorrows in ice cream." Bentley snickered and smiled at his girlfriend.

The rest of the ride, Bentley and Penelope just sat there holding hands. This earned them even more odd looks, considering the fake mustache made Bentley look much older than Bentley. However the couple ignored this and held back laughter as best they could. Soon the bus stopped outside the stadium's parking lot and all of the passengers emptied out. The group of passengers, with Penelope and Bentley in the back, began walking towards the stadium. Soon they entered, turned in their tickets, found their seats, and Penelope bought two cups of coffee….both were for her.

Penelope and Bentley had rather good seats. They were only three rows away from the tall guard rail that protected the spectators from any car wrecks. Bentley, as the stadium became fuller and the race drew nearer, had become very excited, not only to see Murray, but to also see him race. The only other time Bentley had seen one of his races was years ago, he wasn't as nearly popular. Yes, Bentley was very excited, but something still bothered him. He took a backpack, which was dangling from one his wheel chair handles, and opened it. Inside Murray's clothes, mask and all, were bundled up. If Murray came back, which Bentley wanted very badly, they'd return his gear to him. But then there was that good chance he'd say no. What would he do then? Bentley really didn't want to think about it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to round one of the biggest racing tournament in the world!" When the announcer finished saying this, the audience went crazy. "Now remember, the country that comes in last will be eliminated while the rest go to round two in Switzerland." Bentley laughed as several Swiss people in audience cheered at their country being mentioned. "Also all of the starting positions were chosen at random this morning. So, without further adieu, your racers!" Everyone, including Bentley and Penelope, clapped wildly as the racers poured out onto the track.

As they lined up by the starting line, Bentley had noticed an Italian racer had received first, while an Irish one had gotten second. Soon all twenty five racers had taken their spots, but Bentley was focused on the one who had taken the fifth spot. While all the other cars looked like professional race cars, one was just a big blue van.

"Murray?" Bentley asked aloud, not knowing whether seeing the van was his imagination.

Bentley's question was answered when the announcer began saying the racer's name, their spot, and what country they represented. "And in the fifth place spot, representing America, Murray Hippo!" Bentley and Penelope, after exchanging looks of excitement, began applauding with several Americans. Bentley almost gasped as Murray leaned out of the window and began waving to the fans, a huge smile on his face. Murray hadn't changed at all. However, the van had changed. It was still blue, but any sign of the Cooper Gang had been removed. Taking its place were Sponsor stickers and, in red paint written on the sides, the words _"The Murray."_

"Look at that goofy smile," Penelope said with a chuckle. "Same old Murray." Bentley smiled, even though the idea of Murray saying no still bothered him.

An hour and a half had passed, and the race was now coming to a close. A racer from Canada was in twenty fifth, and it was a bit obvious they would be eliminated. They had been in the spot for awhile now, and they didn't seem to be leaving it. However there were some close calls. When he was rammed by the racer from France, Murray had fallen into last. Although it might be easier for him to come back if he'd been eliminated, Bentley and Penelope didn't want Murray to lose. As usual though, Murray was able to dodge a wreck and rocket into second, where he currently was.

He'd been in second for some time, mainly because the Irish racer in first wasn't going to let him pass if his life depended on it. But Murray was not one to give up easily. The front of the van's bumper was only inches from the Irishmen's car. Literally on his tail, Murray continued trying to get past. The Irish terrier, who was in front of Murray, leaned out his window to get a look at his competition. He almost jumped, seeing how close Murray was. So, putting the peddle to the metal, the Irish driver sped ahead, Murray still close behind.

The race had almost come to a close when Murray and the terrier in front of him entered the final lap. The other racers were far being, leaving it all down to Murray and his opponent. People in the audience, even the ones who weren't fans of Murray of the Irishmen, stood up in excitement. Penelope and Bentley were on the edge of their seats, silently cheering for Murray.

They were halfway to the finish line when Murray's opponent had, had enough of him. He reversed, ramming into the front of Murray's car. Murray went spinning as Penelope and Bentley yelled together, "Murray!"

However, Murray used the spinning to his advantage. He quickly turned the wheel, and the spinning car completely spun around the Irish car. With Murray, now in the lead, there was a moment of silence as he passed the finish line.

Murray had won the race.

The silence vanished as Bentley, Penelope, and the audience went crazy, cameras flashed, and the announcer yelled "Hippo wins! Hippo wins!" over and over again. Murray parked his car in the center of the track, while an angry Irish terrier and the rest of the racers sped by.

"He did it!" Bentley yelled, sweat pouring down his face from nervous he had been mere seconds ago.

Murray stepped out of his car and two people came running towards him. One was a female crocodile.

(A/N: Okay quick authors note. Morrigan, who is the crocodile, is not one of those ugly ones you see in real life. She is in the Sly universe, which makes her anthropomorphic. I can make her very pretty, because she's not a real crocodile. Also she has no relation to Mizz Ruby, because Mizz Ruby is an ALLIGATOR. Now back to the story.)

One was a female crocodile. She was very beautiful and had bright, yellow eyes. She had black hair with a single purple streak, the same color as her tank top. She also wore hip hugging jeans. This girl was Morrigan DuBois, Murray's girlfriend. She was definitely a tom boy. She was a good fighter and had a quick wit, but she was also very sweet and cared for Murray very much. Bentley remembered the Christmas he met Morrigan at Murray's house. She was very nice to him and he had never seen two people so in love…..besides him and Penelope of course.

The other person was someone Bentley and Penelope didn't know. He was a black haired chimpanzee dressed in an unbuttoned suit and dress shoes. He, like most chimps, had a hunch making him appear rather short. He, unlike Morrigan, didn't look very happy. He was currently yelling into a cell phone.

Soon Morrigan and the chimp were close to Murray. Morrigan embraced Murray in hug while the chimp hung up the phone and shot Murray a toothy smile. Eventually a man approached Murray with a microphone and began interviewing him.

"So Mr. Hippo, how does it feel to win the first round in _the_ biggest racing tournament there is?" The interviewer, after saying this, held the mike up to Murray's mouth.

Typical Murray didn't really know what to say and just made it up. "Um well like you said, this is a big tournament so getting first place means allot. I mean, I'm just glad that…" Murray was cut off when the suit wearing chimp snatched the mike from the interviewer.

"Mr. Hippo is very happy to have won the race, but he needs to rest for race in Switzerland. He will not be taking any questions." The interviewer and Morrigan shot him dirty looks while Murray story at this chimp oddly. "Now I, Seymour Samuels, as his manager would like to remind you all to smoke Mason Cigarettes. The official cigarette of American racer Murray Hippo."

Murray, still looking at his manger oddly, said, "But I don't even smoke." Rolling his eyes, Seymour tossed the mike back to the interview and looked at Murray.

"Please be quiet, Mr. Murray. _They _don't know that." The chimp said, motioning to the crowd. "Look, I'm making you five thousand dollars right now just by saying the damn cigarettes name. Now come on." With that, Seymour motioned for Morrigan and Murray to follow him. Murray followed and so did Morrigan, but not after giving the money grubbing manager a shove.

"_That_guy is Murray's manger?" Penelope said, shocked at Seymour Samuel's shameless plug and interruption of Murray.

Bentley, watching the three exit the stadium through a small door down by the track, said, "We can talk about him later. Murray is leaving!" Bentley and Penelope exchanged worried looks and ran from their seats while the rest of the audience watched the interviewer talked to the runner up.

Bentley and Penelope got out of the stadium as quick as possible. Now in the parking lot, they looked to their right to see another parking lot. It was blocked off by a tall fence. This was because this is where the racers parked their cars.

"Where are they?" Bentley asked, considering there were twenty five cars over there. Bentley's got his answer though when he heard Morrigan's angry voice.

"A limo! Seymour, you did _not_seriously get a limo." Bentley and Penelope looked at long, black limo parked near the fence. Outside of it, Morrigan and Murray watched Seymour nod proudly. Morrigan let out a snicker and said, "A bit tacky don't you think?" Murray chuckled himself.

"Miss Morrigan, you must understand that your boyfriend is one of the richest race car drivers in the U.S. He can afford the higher things in life, so it only makes since to be driven everywhere in limousine. It's classy." Seymour turned to Murray, Morrigan the whole time making fun of him behind his back. "Now Mr. Murray, you'll find the limo contains an assortment of snacks, beverages, and movies to watch on your own built in T.V." Murray, not hearing a word he said, just laughed as Morrigan stuck a tongue out. Realizing that Murray's mind was somewhere else, Seymour snapped his fingers and said, "Mr., Murray, did you hear anything I just said?"

Murray quickly looked away from Morrigan and rolled his eyes at Seymour. "Slick," Murray said, calling his manager by his nick name. "Will you cut it out with the whole Mr. Murray and Mr. Hippo thing? You've been my manager for three years now. I think you can call me Murray." Seymour took note of this and nodded. "Also, why can't I just drive the van? I mean, I like it allot better."

"Mr. Murr…..I mean Murray, like I said this is classy. You in an international tournament, which means the whole world, have got their eyes on you. You can't be seen driving around in the old piece of junk. In fact, I think we need to upgrade you to a _real _race car very soon." When Seymour finished, Murray shot him a look of anger. The chimp almost ran away, now remembering that the van was very, very important to. Changing the subject, he said, "Okay now how about we get to the hotel?" Seymour held the door open and the two stepped inside the car.

Seymour was about to enter the car himself, but Morrigan had a different idea. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and rolled down the window. "Hi." She said with a grin, while Murray tried to hold back his laughter.

Seymour not amused by her joke said, "Miss Morrigan, please unlock this door so I may…" He was interrupted when Morrigan stuck her arm out the window and poked him in the stomach.

"You know, you're feeling a bit chubby. Maybe you should walk to the hotel, get some exercise." Seymour looking rather offended wanted to object, but before he could Morrigan banged on the side of the car, signaling the chauffeur to start driving. So Murray and Morrigan pulled out of the parking lot and began driving, leaving a humiliated Seymour behind.

Penelope started to laugh, but Bentley signaled her to stop. "They're getting away. We have got to follow the limo!" The two nodded and took off, fast as they could.

Penelope and Bentley had no form of transportation, considering they had come in bus. So the couple had to run down the sidewalk, the limo always a few feet ahead. Penelope ran as fast as possible and Bentley pushed his wheels as fast as his arms could go, but it wasn't enough. The limo was not slowly down and they were not speeding up.

"Were not going to make it, Bentley." A tired out Penelope said who had to stop to take a breather. Bentley stopped as well. He was going to tell that this was their only chance and they had to keep going, but he had an idea.

"Wait," Bentley said grabbing the mouse's arm. "Limos usually have sunroofs, right?" Penelope nodded quickly as if the answer were common knowledge. Bentley nodded and quickly pulled Penelope onto his lap.

"Whoa there buddy! What are you doing?" Bentley looked at her with a smile.

"Hold on." And with that, Bentley began rolling the chair very fast in the limos direction, but they had only become a little closer. Penelope was still confused, but when she saw Bentley reaching for a familiar button her eyes went wide.

"Bentley, don't you even think about it." But Penelope's words did nothing. Bentley pressed the button and his built in after burners kicked in. They launched into the air, Penelope screaming the whole time. Bentley pressed the button two more times and they went even higher. Soon, the chair was few feet above the limo's open sun roof. Penelope screamed even louder as the plummeted through the air.

Morrigan and Murray, who were about to kiss, heard the screaming above and looked at the open sunroof. Morrigan was about to say something when Bentley and Penelope fell through, hitting the limo's floor with a thud. Bentley, who had fallen out his chair, was yanked off the floor. She held him by the collar of his flannel and brought him eye to eye.

"Who are you, why are you here, and what hell are you doing in our limo?" Normally Morrigan was very nice to Bentley (they had hit it off well at the Christmas they met) but she had no idea it was him under the cowboy hat, which was currently stuck over his eyes.

Murray had the same reaction with Penelope. He was unable to tell it was her on the ground, mainly because all of her hair had covered her face. But when Murray pulled her up by the arm, he nearly fainted. With Penelope now dangling in front of him, Murray could see her face and glasses and in an instant knew who it was. In fact, he blinked his eyes just a few times to make sure what he was seeing was real. Bentley may have been affected very strongly by the many years apart, but so was Murray, who seemed to have lost track of how long it had been.

"Penelope?" Murray asked this as he dropped Penelope on her feet, sounding as if he still didn't believe she was here. Penelope, still a little startled from the fall, looked at Murray. She looked as if she was starring at something she missed very, very much.

"Murray?" Penelope responded, her common sense seeming to leave her for a moment. The two smiled and didn't speak. Instead of talking the friends embraced in hug. Murray was giving Penelope a huge bear hug that actually kind of hurt, but she ignored it and just smiled. After a few seconds the two separated, still smiley widely.

"Penelope! How….why….," There was silence as Murray though of his next questions, "Where's Bentley?" Penelope looked over to her left to see Morrigan holding her boyfriend by the collar.

Ignoring Murray's question, Penelope ordered, "You better let him go!"

"Not until you tell me who you are and why you're here." Morrigan said to Penelope fiercely.

Murray stared at the figure in Morrigan's hand as her and Penelope argued. He was dressed in a flannel and cow boy hat, but Murray ignored this. What he noticed was how small the man was and how he had green skin. _"It can't…it can't be_." As Murray thought this, he slowly approached Morrigan and the person he believed to be his best friend.

Murray was inches from them when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his right and saw, in the corner of the room, a wheel chair that he knew all too well. Now sure of whom it was, Murray turned to Morrigan swiftly. Interrupting the females argument, Murray said to Morrigan nicely, "Stop, please. Let me have him." Morrigan gave her boyfriend an odd look, but did hold out the small green man.

Murray took the small figure in his arms and got a better look. The cowboy hat was still stuck over his eyes, but in a swift motion the hippo was able to remove it. Murray gasped, nearly dropping him. Morrigan, now seeing who was in Murray's arms, gasped as well. She, now knowing who it was, figured out the girl she'd been arguing with was Penelope. "Sorry about that, Penelope. It's been awhile." Morrigan said this, feeling a little embarrassed she couldn't recognize the two. Penelope simply nodded, still watching Murray.

Murray store at Bentley in his arms, Bentley doing the same to Murray. There was such a long silence one might think the two friends were communicating telepathically. But silence was broken by Murray, tears welling in his eyes along with Bentley. "Bentley, I've missed you so much." This sounded like a simple sentence to anyone listening, but to Bentley it meant so much. Bentley and Murray no longer talked and just embraced in a hug, bringing smiles to their girlfriend's faces.

After the hug was over Bentley and Murray still didn't speak. Murray, holing Bentley in one arm, picked the chair up. He then placed Bentley in his chair and the turtle spoke. "I've missed you to, Murray. You have no idea."

Murray smirked. "I have a feeling I do." Murray looked around oddly, doing his best to hold back tears. "Almost every night, I wake up and walk outside. I look up at the sky and wonder how you …..how you and Sly are doing." Bentley smiled. It felt good to know the separation had affected his friend as well. "Allot of times I just want to give it all up. Racing is fun and all, and I love it, but I'd throw it all away. My sponsors, the money, and the fans if it meant I could go on one, _just_ one more heist." There was a long silence before Murray finished. "I really do miss it, ya know, the life of being a thief. For so many, many reasons."

Bentley was a little shocked. Murray was able to sum up his emotions in that one final sentence. But Bentley got over the surprise and cleared his throat. Bentley pulled his glasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on. "Well Murray, it's funny you should mention that." With a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, Murray watched as Bentley pulled the note from Sly's father out of his shirt and handed it to him.

"What's this?"

"Just read it." Bentley smiled as Murray unrolled the paper and began reading. It took a few minutes, but Murray did finish. It was rather funny, as he read it his eyes grew wider and wider. By the end of it, Murray's eyes were the size of saucers and his jaw was dropped. "So?"

Murray gave the letter back to Bentley and began blabbering. "How…..why…..Uncle…..but Sly…..cousin….Egypt!" Morrigan quickly rushed to his side.

"Whoa Murray calm down. What's going on?" She asked this to Bentley, obviously because Murray's head was still spinning with questions. Bentley explained the contents of the letter to her. She had already known allot about the Cooper Gang, so this was equally shocking to her as Bentley, Penelope, or Murray. When Bentley finished explaining, Morrigan really didn't know what to say.

Murray, now a little calmer was able to speak. Clutching his head in pain, Murray said, "Well Sly's gotta know about this. It was like his dad's dyeing wish, right?"

"Precisely, Murray!" A still very excited Bentley said now that his hippo friend was catching on. "That's why Penelope and I are here. Were getting the gang back together! You, me, Penelope, Sly, Guru, and Panda King!" Murray gave him an odd look and Bentley seemed to have read his mind by saying, "Dimitri ended up in prison awhile back. But look, that's not the point. The point is that this very well could be our next adventure. We'll get the gang, go to Egypt, and look for Sly's cousin."

Murray who was usually game for everything even looked skeptical at this. "But Bent, this letter is how old? This guy could be dead, or at least not in Egypt anymore. Also it doesn't sound like much of an adventure to me. We got to Egypt, look around, don't find anything and go home." Bentley then frowned, making Murray wish he hadn't spoken. "Bentley I," Bentley silenced Murray by raising a hand.

With an extremely serious face, not matching his old excited one at all, Bentley simply said, "Murray, even if it's just a little search and rescue, wouldn't you give anything for the gang to be back together." Murray thought about this. Bentley's words had affected him as much as his did to Bentley.

Murray looked at the people he was with. He looked into Morrigan's yellow eyes, Penelope's calm smile, and Bentley's face which read _"Please!" _Murray smiled, now realizing what he wanted and what he thought was a good response. "Hope you got enough money in that vault for another ticket to Egypt." Bentley and Penelope cheered as the two long time friends and brothers high fived.

"Hey I got a question for you, Bentley." Bentley stopped cheering and drew his attention to Morrigan.

"Yes, Morrigan."

"Well, I was wondering, would you mind if a non Cooper Gang member went with you?" Bentley was about to answer when Murray gasped.

"Morrigan, are you nuts? This is Egypt! It's full of a tomb raiders and bandits, it's not safe." Bentley and Penelope laughed as Morrigan raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip.

"Murray, you know very well that I can handle myself in a fight." Bentley and Penelope once again laughed, remembering how, to prove her strength, had beat Murray in an arm wrestling match one Christmas. Also there was time when Murray tried to scare her, he did but she spun around and spin kicked him in the face. "I love you, but you can be a _bit_over protective sometimes." With that Morrigan gave Murray a kiss on the cheek, making him blush, smile a goofy smile and stop being so protective, for the time being. "So Bentley, can I come or what?"

"It's just one trip to Egypt, so I don't see why not. Penelope?" Bentley and Morrigan looked over to Penelope who shrugged.

"Sure." Penelope's response was rather odd. She had never been very fond of Morrigan, but no one really knew why. It was also hard for people to tell. The only people who seemed to notice it ever were Bentley and Morrigan herself sometimes. There was an awkward silence before Bentley broke it.

"Alright Murray, I think you'll be wanting these." Bentley said this while tossing Murray the backpack.

Murray almost passed out when he opened the bag. "You….you kept it all this time." Bentley nodded as Murray examined his gear, all bundled up in the bag. He pulled his red mask out of the bag, tears in his eyes just from holding it. "Wow, I never thought I'd a miss a mask and some gloves this much." A tear rolled down Murray's cheek, but then he remembered there were three other people in the limo with him. He quickly wiped it away, cleared his throat, and addressed something that had been bugging him since. "Thanks, Bentley. Now I just got one question for you." Bentley motioned for him to continue, and Murray asked, a little nervous, "What about Sly?"

There was dead silence. Everyone had known the question was coming, but nobody wanted to ask it. Murray, Morrigan, and Penelope all looked at Bentley, who was starring at the ground. After a minute or two he shook his head and looked up at his three friends. "I really don't know, Murray. I really don't know."

A few days later, Sly Cooper and Carmelita Fox had arrived home from their vacation. They walked down the small hallway to their apartment, laughing the whole time. Sly and Carmelita were two of Interpol's best officers. They had been working together for five years now and they had accomplished so much in that time. Inspector Fox and her partner Constable Cooper had taken down a number of criminals, from common thugs to huge kingpins of crime.

They had risen in the ranks and were currently the top police officer's in Paris. They were loved by the people and feared by the criminals. Sometimes it seemed that these two were the only thing standing between order and chaos. Even if this was true, they handled their jobs professionally and never let it get to their head.

Now, Carmelita and Sly were a good team because they were great police officers, but they were a great team because of their relationship outside of work. The two officers had been in love for as long as they could remember. Almost as long as they had been working together, they were going out. They had even moved in together, making Carmelita suspect a ring in her future. But their relationship wasn't strictly romance. They were also so very good friends. Always making each other laugh. Sadly, however, their relationship wasn't always this good.

Years ago Sly Cooper had worked on the other side of the law, as a thief. He and his gang had traveled the world stealing all sorts of thing, Carmelita on their tail every step of the way. Now Sly had only stone from other thieves, but Carmelita's view of the criminal world was far too black and white to see. But even back then Sly had loved Carmelita and she loved him, though she'd never admit it. They went back and forth for years, but then one event occurred that changed their relationship forever.

In Sly and the gang's final adventure, they had journeyed to the Kaine Island in search of Sly's family fortune. During this adventure Carmelita saved Sly's life, twice. The seconds was when he was battling the evil owner of the island, Dr. M. It was a long battle and Sly had almost defeated him, when Carmelita arrived and he took a hit for her. It launched Sly into the rafters, knocking him out cold. Carmelita defeated M and rushed to Sly's side. The raccoon had awoken but he had amnesia, not able to remember his name let alone his gang of thieves. Carmelita, who had secretly craved a life with Sly her whole life, took the chance and told him he was her partner "Constable Cooper." The two left together, leaving Sly's gang in the dust.

Carmelita loved her new life. She loved her job, she loved her home, and she loved Sly. Things could not be better, well except for one thing. It seemed that Sly and Carmelita had a relationship built on lies, for while Carmelita lied and said he was a cop, Sly had lied about something as well. When he woke up and saw Carmelita he decided to take the opportunity. He claimed he had amnesia and Carmelita, clouded by love, believed him. However, they both kept their secrets and they were happy that way. But a relationship built on lies is like a house of cards, it's eventually going to fall.

Sly and Carmelita barged into their apartment laughing hysterically. The two's vacation had been in India and Sly had just finished doing an impression of a funny tour guide they had met. Their stomachs hurting with laughter, the fox and raccoon collapsed on the couch.

Carmelita snuggled up next to her boyfriend and asked, "So what was your favorite part?"

"Of the vacation?" Carmelita nodded, staring into Sly's eyes. "Well it was the scuba diving, but I think the_ right _answer is being with you." Sly said this with a smirk and received a light hit on the arm.

"Very funny." Carmelita said sarcastically while her boyfriend chuckled. There was an odd silence as Carmelita started thinking. Sly had known Carmelita very well and could tell when she was happy , sad, or just thinking.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sly said with a smirk, looking into her eyes as well. Carmelita hesitated. She wasn't sure asking this was a good idea.

"When we were in India," Carmelita paused, choosing her next words wisely. "Di…Did you remember anything?" Sly sighed on the outside, but on the inside he was freaking out. Not allot, but sometimes when they went to a place or had arrested a criminal that Carmelita remembered that Sly knew, she'd ask if he had remembered it.

Once Sly and Carmelita's had traveled to Prague. When Carmelita asked if he'd remembered the place he almost slipped up by talking about the whole Contessa affair, but he quickly stopped himself and said 'no'. After many years with Carmelita, he had adapted and knew what the best response was. "No, not at all. That was my first time there…well as far as I can remember." Sly, curious what her answer would be, asked, "Why do you ask?"

Carmelita was feeling like how Sly did now. She was worried and was now thinking on her toes. Making it up as she went along, trying to stammer, Carmelita said, "Well, when we first started working together we traveled to India. We had to stop some thief who had stolen the country's valuable Fire Stone." A smile appeared on Sly's face. He was happy to know that Carmelita still remembered the day they met.

Really wanting to know what she'd say next, Sly asked, "Cool. So how did we do?" Sly looked at Carmelita to see she wasn't facing him. She store blankly out the window. Sly frowned. He knew Carmelita was uncomfortable lying to him just like he was.

"It was our first job, so he got away." Carmelita said this simply and quickly, making it obvious to Sly she wanted to change the subject. However, there was still one more question Sly wanted to ask.

"What was he like? This thief?" Sly was of course asking about him, forcing himself to hold back a laugh. Carmelita seemed to cheer up at this. She let out a little giggle and looked away from the window and back at Sly.

"He was…" Carmelita paused, choosing the best words to sum up the man sitting next to her. "He was suave, clever, a bit cocky but really funny. He also was kind of obsessed with me, always trying to get under my skin." Sly smirked at that last comment.

"Sounds a bit like me." When Sly let that slip, there was an awkward silence. Almost making a run for it, Sly had though his cover had been blown. But, to Sly's relief, Carmelita did nothing and just continued talking about this "thief."

"Yeah with one difference, _he _was cute." Sly laughed hysterically as Carmelita finished her clever quip. As Sly laughed Carmelita go up and put on her jacket. "Sly, I'm going to go for a walk." Sly slowly stopped laughing. He knew Carmelita only went on walks when she needed to think. Sly knew she wasn't mad, but he knew that this wasn't good. Whenever they got talking about Sly's past she had become terribly uncomfortable and went for a walk.

Sly knew that Carmelita didn't like lying to him and he felt the same for her, but he thought it be best is she just got some fresh air. "Okay that's fine. Just be back soon, k?" Carmelita nodded and gave Sly a kiss. She then walked through the apartment door, closing it behind her.

Sly sighed and rose from his seat on the couch. He had hated nights like these. Nights when him and Carmelita realized how much they lied to each other and became distant. True, these nights didn't last long, but they did take a toll on the former thief. He had been feeling rather odd lately. He loved Carmelita with all his heart, but he wasn't focused on her as usual. Something deep inside of him had changed, causing thoughts of the gang to come pouring in.

Sly had always missed the gang. Bentley and Murray were like, no they were his brothers and that would never change. But as time had gone on they played less and less of a role in his life. The gang had drifted apart, but Sly had drifted long before the rest. He could never call, let alone meet his former team mates. The only form of communication was secretive letters, which was hard to send due to always being with Carmelita. Also Sly had to write "do not write back" in each letter, believing Carmelita might find the letter before him.

It hurt Sly. He knew the guy's wanted to call or at least write back, but they couldn't. He never heard or seen any member of the gang, well except for Bentley. Occasionally Sly would see Bentley on a roof top, watching him and Carmelita. These small sightings of his friend always made him happy, but even these had stopped in the past year. He wished he could blame them, but he couldn't. _He_ was the reason the gang had broken up. If never talking to them upset him so much, he couldn't imagine how they felt.

Sly wandered into his and Carmelita's bedroom and walked over to his nightstand. He made sure Carmelita had not returned and opened the top drawer. Inside there were several types of things: papers, wrappers, cans, and other junk. All this junk though was a cover. He moved it all aside and removed the bottom of the drawer. Instead of nothing, under the removed bottom was a hidden compartment. Inside was a folded blue shirt with yellow collar, blue gloves with yellow trim, blue boots, a yellow belt with the Sly Cooper symbol in the center, a blue hat, and finally a black mask, all of which was stacked on top of each other. Sly was smiling as he pulled out the hat. He reached inside and pulled out a photo.

The small, slightly torn photograph was of three people. It was all brown and it was apparently taken outside an orphanage. Standing by a sign that read _"Happy Camper Orphanage"_ was a small green turtle wearing a bow tie and large glasses. Next to him was a raccoon, not much taller. He wore the same clothes that Sly had in the drawer but they were far too big for him. Finally, there was a young hippo that was the tallest of the three. He wore a blue t-shirt, was a little chubby, and had a pair of goggles atop his head.

Sly store at the old picture of him, Bentley, and Murray with a smile. Sly was a rather strong person, not one to cry very often, but even he was struggling with emotion. As Sly stared at the memory in his hand, he couldn't help but think off how he was feeling very recently. Only a few days ago, maybe a week, Sly had started thinking about that gang more than ever. It was all he thought about, even when on vacation with Carmelita. But he still didn't know why? It was as if something happened, something that he needed to know about.

All of a sudden Sly heard a loud bang. After recovering from the shock, Sly quickly shoved everything back in the drawer and slammed it shut. He ran back into the main room, expecting to see Carmelita had returned. Surprisingly, she was not. Sly, beginning to think he hadn't heard anything, started to walk back to the bed room. He was about to enter when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Standing on the apartment's small balcony were two figures. Sly could see them through the glass doors, but couldn't see their faces due to how dark it was tonight.

Nervous, Sly pulled Carmelita's shock pistol from her belt, which was currently on the kitchen counter. After five years in Interpol Sly had learned many things, including how to hold a simple gun. He slowly approached the doors, gun extended in one hand. Once close enough, he griped the door knob, turned it, and pushed the doors open. Sly leapt onto the balcony, aiming the shock pistol ahead of him.

In typical cop style, Sly ordered, "Freeze!" The two figures outside quickly raised their arms up and took a step back. Sly was about to start questioning these trespassers when he froze. When the two men took a step back, they had stepped into the moonlight. The bright moon over Paris that night revealed who the two were. One was a turtle in wheelchair, wearing a helmet, all sorts of protective gear, and a large pair of glasses. The second was a hippo who was much taller and stronger, wearing goggles, a red mask, red gloves, white towel around his neck, a belt, a blue shirt, and a pair of white boots.

"Hello, Sly." Bentley said. He had an odd look on his face. It looked as if he were happy, sad, and awkward feeling all at the same time. Murray, on the other hand, had a huge smile plastered on his face.

Sly not knowing what to say, dropped the shock pistol and took a few steps back. Murray's smile faded. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see us?" When Murray asked this, Sly seemed to snap out of the trance he was under.

"Wh-What are you guys doing here?" Sly seemed to be slightly frightened. He couldn't imagine what might happen if Carmelita had entered the apartment to see Sly talking to his former gang members. "If Carmelita sees you she'll," Sly stopped speaking. Bentley had stuck an old, rolled up piece of paper out to him.

Sly looked at Bentley oddly. Bentley sighed, he knew the sooner Sly read it, the better. "It's a letter…from your father." When Sly heard the word father, he quickly snatched the paper from Bentley.

"Where did you find this?" Sly asked, his hands shaking as he unrolled the paper.

"A hidden compartment in your cane." Bentley said this and motioned for Sly to read. The raccoon store blankly at the paper before he actually began reading.

Murray and Bentley looked at each other as Sly read. The two had remembered how emotional it was for them reading it, but they knew it meant so much more to Sly. This was a letter from Sly's dad, the same man who had been killed before his very eyes. This ancient paper, in a way, was as if Conner Cooper were talking to him from beyond the grave. Murray and Bentley actually felt sorry for showing him, considering the tears in his eyes were evident. Sly soon finished the letter. He looked at Murray and Bentley, back at the letter and at Murray and Bentley again. He rolled it back up and returned to his handicapped friend.

Sly instead of saying nothing stated exactly how he felt. "I don't know what to say." He looked into the sky as he spoke. "My father wrote this so I would know I wasn't the last Cooper…..so I would know I wasn't alone, and it took me eighteen years to even know it existed." Sly seemed to be sad and angry at himself.

There was an odd silence but then Murray said something, something even Bentley thought was intelligent. "But Sly…you never were alone. You had me and Bentley, and we were always there for you. Even in these past few years, you and Bentley have never left my mind." Sly quickly looked at Murray along with Bentley. Murray looked like what he said didn't mean anything, but it did. When Murray said this Sly really realized how much he missed the gang. The heists, the good times, and of course, his brothers.

"Really, Murray?" Sly asked this, not sure if he should accept how he was feeling.

Murray nodded and said, "It's like I told Bentley on the way here, sometimes I pray. You know I'm not a very religious person, but sometimes I pray to God, Buddha, Allah or whatever greater power there is just to make sure you two are okay."

Bentley finally spoke after what seemed like hours. It was hard for Bentley to say this, considering what had happened between them at the Cooper Vault, but he got past this and said, "We miss you, Sly….and we want you back. We're getting the gang back together and going to Egypt." Bentley then looked Sly directly in the eyes and said, "We are going to find your cousin, Sly."

"You're asking me to leave Interpol, my home, and all I have here just to go looking for a long lost family member who might not even be alive." There was nothing said as Murray and Bentley nervously nodded. Sly was frowning, but that soon vanished and a grin appeared on his face. "Well count me in."

Murray then high fived his two friends and yelled, "Yes, the Murray is pleased! Now come on, I've got the van down below and Penelope is in there. I also brought my girlfriend Sly! You're gonna love her I," Sly shoosed Murray so that the neighbors, or half of Pairs for that matter wouldn't hear the excited hippo.

"That's great, Murray but things aren't going to be that easy. I have all my gear with me, but I don't know how I'm going to tell Carmelita." When Sly finished speaking, Murray and Bentley's eyes went wide. A little confused, Sly asked, "Um you guys okay?" Murray shook his head as he pointed a finger over Sly's shoulder.

Sly was still a little confused, but in a matter of seconds he wasn't. Sly heard a loud, Latina accent from behind him yell, "What the hell is going on here?" Sly, wishing Bentley and Murray had never come, turned around to see Carmelita standing by the open apartment door.

"Carmelita….I…I," Carmelita ignored Sly's ramblings and continued shouting to me.

"You lied to me! You've been faking amnesia for five years!" When Carmelita said this, Sly had become a little angry as well.

"I lied! I lied! You lied and said I was you're partner!" Carmelita, ignoring Sly's logic, reached into a nearby closet and pulled out another shock pistol. Sly was hitting himself on the inside, he should've remembered Carmelita's extra.

"Explain!" Ordered Carmelita. Sly was starting to feel bad. He really did love Carmelita, but this was his cousin. If Sly's father wanted him to find him, he was. All Sly ever wanted to do was please his father, and this is what would do it. Conner Cooper had a dying wish and his son must fulfill it.

"Carmelita, I swear to you I haven't seen Murray and Bentley in person since the Cooper Vault. I love you and I lied because all I ever wanted was to be with you." At this point Carmelita was tearing up, but she quickly shook it off and raised her extra shock pistol.

"I said explain!" Sly sighed, now realizing there was no way out of this.

"Bentley showed me this letter." Sly stepped to the side and pointed to the rolled up paper in Bentley's hand. "Its...it's from my father to me. He wrote it and had hidden it in the cane before he was killed." Carmelita rose an eyebrow as Sly continued, "He said that I'm that the last Cooper, that I have a cousin." Sly looked over his shoulder at Bentley and Murray before looking back at Carmelita. "Carmelita, please. I…I have to find my cousin. It's a slim chance, but if my dad wanted me to meet him then I must."

Carmelita lowered her pistol. Sly held out his arms for a hug and took a step forward. The minute Carmelita heard him move she snapped back up, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you're with criminals, you are a criminal." Sly felt heartbroken, feeling as if the old Carmelita had returned.

"Please Carmelita, it's my family." Sly was bracing himself to be shocked.

Carmelita kept the pistol aimed, but still did not shoot. "I know….that's why I'm giving you a ten second head start." Sly wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad. Carmelita was angry at him, but the head start showed she still cared. "I loved you, Sly. I really did….but that's all over now. Ten!" Sly now knew he was sad, but he quickly ran into the bed room. When he returned, he held all of his thief gear in his arms.

He looked at Carmelita, who was now on eight, and told Murray and Bentley, "You guys go. I'll be down in a second." Murray and Bentley were hesitant. They had no idea what might happen if he was left alone with Carmelita. But the turtle and hippo eventually accepted this and gave a nod.

"The van is down below, Sly. Just hurray, alright?" Bentley said this sounding rather worried. Sly nodded as Bentley and Murray leapt off the balcony and out of sight.

Sly turned to Carmelita who had just counted five. "Carmelita, I'm leaving now. I…I don't know when I'll be back, or if you'll even let me come back, but I love." Carmelita stopped counting when Sly said this. "And I think….I _know_ you love me to. If you felt any other away, you'd have shot me by now." Carmelita knew Sly's words were true, but she still said nothing. "These past few years, even though I missed the guys, have been the happiest days of my life." Sly let one tear fall, saddened the Carmelita wouldn't even say a word.

"You better go." Carmelita whispered this and Sly, hesitantly, nodded. "Four!" Sly, surprised by the sudden shout, ran to the balcony. He leapt onto the ledge of the balcony and looked over his shoulder as Carmelita shouted, "Three!"

"I love you, Inspector Fox." And with that, Sly leapt off the balcony and out of Carmelita's life.

A/N: Alright, alright! Before everyone flips out, the part about "out of Carmelita's life" is not true. Carmelita will still be in this fic, just not immediately. Also to respond to **Hiezen Uchiha's**response, Sly's cane isn't broken. In the previous chapter, Penelope was able to put it back together while Bentley found the letter. Anyways guys please review, have a very Jabala Day, and** BYE! **


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. I do co-own the character of Morrigan DuBois with **MasterofHearts1313. **(Insert random comment about how I listen to Disney music all the time here.)

**CHAPTER 4**

It had been exactly three days since Sly left Carmelita. It was rather odd, being back with the gang and all. Sly was hoping it would be like when Murray returned. He expected to arrive at the Paris safe house and begin celebrating with the gang. He hoped they'd play videogames, eat tons of junk food, make jokes, and just enjoy each other's company, but none of this happened.

Sly returned to the Paris safe house to find it was a dusty and old shell of its former self. It pretty much looked the same, but it had an odd feel to it. It felt as if it was now a home for sadness and forgotten memories, not one for friends to have a good time. From the confused look on Murray's face, Sly could tell he felt the same. So the group instead of having a good time was informed of when they'd be leaving by Bentley before he and Penelope went to bed. Ever since he'd gotten in the van, Bentley had been acting very strange around him.

That night, when Sly crawled into his dusty bed, it had settled in what he had done. Carmelita was the woman he'd loved since he first laid eyes on her. Her gorgeous looks and feisty personality always kept Sly interested, but it was over. Those five wonderful years together were over, and now he didn't even have the fun of his friends to comfort him. He tossed and turned all night, not knowing what bothered him more, his missing of Carmelita or his missing of the way things used to be with him and his friends. It was definitely a hard night for Sly Cooper, but it was nothing compared to what was happening in Murray's room.

In the room across from Sly's, Murray and Morrigan were both fast asleep in Murray's bed. They had been asleep for at least an hour when Murray began tossing and turning. Inside his head he was having one of the worst nightmares ever, except it wasn't a nightmare at all. It was all very real, making this "dream" even worse.

Inside Murray's head, the entire Cooper Gang was having a picnic by the Eifel Tower. The sun shined brightly making the scene even more pleasant. Dimitri was taking a nap while Panda King and Guru mediated quietly. Sly was snickering as he and Murray spied on Penelope and Bentley, who were farthest from the group due to their kissing.

Murray let out a snort of laughter before turning to Sly. "Man this is awesome, Sly. I really miss these days, before you became a cop and all. Sometimes I wish that whole Cooper Vault thing never happened, and we just went on like this. You know?" Sly smiled widely at Murray. He opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to agree, but he never said anything.

Murray stared at Sly in awe as he began to change. He became skinnier and skinner, his bones beginning to show. Scared, Murray looked around him. The same thing was happening to rest of the gang. Murray wanted to call for help but then he noticed something else. The sun seemed to vanish as clouds began appearing and the sky grew darker.

"Sl...Sly what's going on?" A worried Murray asked this, trying his best to keep his eyes on Sly. Sly had now become so skinny it was almost to gross for Murray to face.

Sly looked at his thin body then at Murray. Sly slowly opened his mouth and simply said, "No." With that Sly and the rest of the gang, excluding Murray, collapsed on the ground. Murray blinked, and when he reopened his eyes what he saw shocked and terrified him.

Sly, Bentley, Penelope, Panda King, Guru, and Dimitri had all become piles of bones. There was no skin, no clothes, and no one alive except Murray.

"No!" Murray fell to his knees and grabbed the skeletal Sly's hand. "No, Sly! Don't be dead, please don't be dead!" In a sad attempt Murray shook the Sly skeleton, as if trying to wake his friend up. "Bentley!" Murray quickly let go of Sly and ran over to where Penelope and Bentley once were. Penelope and Bentley were still locked in their kiss, but it was no longer beautiful. The two were just as dead as Sly. "No! Not you guys too!" Murray was about to shake these two as well when he saw another skeleton.

A few feet away there was a small skeleton, much smaller than the others. It sat next to an extremely large one and a tall and lanky one, which was lying on the ground. "Master!" Murray shouted this as he scrambled over to the Guru's remains. He held the small skeleton in his arms, unable to form his words.

Then, inside Murray's head, the hippo heard a familiar voice echo, _"It is alright, Murray. For now at least." _Murray dropped the Guru's skeleton in surprise. That was definitely the Guru's voice. Whenever the wise koala spoke in his odd language, it came out as English to Murray.

"Master….how,"

"_Turn around, Murray." _Murray nervously turned around. What he saw made him want to jump for joy. A few feet away the Guru stood, staff and all.

"Master! Thank goodness!" Murray quickly ran to his former teacher and got on his knees so he was eye level with the koala. "It's horrible! Everyone is dead! You, Sly, Bentley, P…wait. How are you alive when you're…," Murray's voice trailed off as he held his head in confusion.

"_Do not hurt you're self, Murray." _The Guru said this with a smile, but this went away as he suddenly became serious. _"Now, let me explain. Not too long ago, I began looking into the future, hoping to see that the camera men after me would stop. But sadly, I've discovered something much worse." _The Guru shook his head as he fell silent.

"Master what is so…" Murray cut himself off. He took one more look at the scene around him and said, "You can't….you can't mean this, can you?" To Murray's horror, Guru nodded.

"_I apologize Murray, but yes. This is exactly what I mean. I looked into the future and saw that Paris and the rest of the world looked like this. Dark, desolate, and dead." _Murray's jaw dropped.

"The world! The whole word cant,"

"_It is Murray!" _Murray froze, frightened by the Guru's sudden raise of voice. _"I…I am sorry, Murray. I've been under allot of pressure lately." _Murray knew this was the Guru's code for "I'm just as terrified as you."

"When is this going to happen?" Murray had calmed himself and decided to ask one question at a time.

Guru let out a sigh and said, _"I don't know, but if I had to make an estimation, I'd say a few months." _Murray went wide eyed as his jaw dropped again. _"I first saw it at the beginning of the year. As time has gone on, I've been seeing it in my mind more, and more. I worry that the more frequently they happen, the nearer it becomes." _

Murray gulped. "Have you seen anything else? Is there some way we can stop it?" Guru looked at Murray tensely, as if he was ready to talk about what he came here for.

"_That exactly why I came to you and showed you this!" _This time the Guru didn't sound so angry. He actually sounded rather excited. _"As the visions have gone on, the clearer they've become. Rather than just seeing death and destruction, I've seen you and the other members of the Cooper Gang." _Murray watched and listened anxiously. _"It's rather odd, but whenever every member of our gang is in the vision, the better the outcome." _

Murray, as usual, was a little confused. "Um sorry Master, but I don't really get what you're saying."

Guru nodded and continued. _"What I mean is, whenever the whole Cooper Gang is together, the better the vision is. A few days ago, I saw you, Sly Cooper, Bentley, Penelope, Panda King, that odd Dimitri fellow, and myself all together, viewing a world much, much more beautiful than this." _

"So, what you're saying is…is that if the gang gets back together we might be able to stop this?" The Guru quickly nodded his head up and down.

"_Exactly, Murray! I'm not sure when it will happen, or what even causes it, but I believe our gang will be able to stop it." _Murray looked at the Guru oddly. _"What is bothering you, my former student?"_

"It's just kind of a coincidence. Not too long ago Bentley found a letter from Conner Cooper in Sly's cane." Murray held his chin as he thought about things a bit harder. "It said that he had a cousin. So, since Sly's dad said he wanted Sly to one day find him, we decided to get the gang back together." Murray looked a little shocked when he finished talking. He couldn't believe he had actually said the gang was getting back together.

"_That explains it." _The Guru pretty much whispered this, but Murray was able to hear it. Seeing the hippo had raised an eyebrow, Guru explained, _"In one of my visions I saw Sly Cooper's father writing a letter. He seemed rather worried, but he did finish it and hid it in his cane…..and then there was that raccoon."_

Murray quickly snapped, "Raccoon! Master, what raccoon did you see?" The Guru seemed to be thinking, but he did eventually speak.

"_This very mysterious raccoon, who happens to look a little like Sly Cooper." _Murray motioned for him to continue, very eager to hear what Guru had to say next. _"He keeps appearing in my visions alongside us, whenever we see that better world and what not. The last time I saw him he looked like he was in Egypt." _Murray wanted to shout that this raccoon was Sly's cousin, but he decided to let the koala finish. _"It seemed these rather savage looking guards were leading him somewhere."_

"Where?" Murray covered his mouth after speaking. His sudden outburst had even surprised him. "Sorry, I mean, where?"

"_I only got a glimpse before the vision ended, but it looked like a palace of some sort." _Guru looked at the moonstone that dangled from his staff and then back at Murray. _"Murray, there just might be a chance this is Sly's cousin." _

Murray, wearing a huge toothy grin said, "I'll bet you a hundred bucks it _is _Sly's cousin. And from the sound of it, not only is he still in Egypt but he seems pretty damn important to this whole saving the world thing. Luckily we're heading to Egypt tomorrow."

"_You're right, Murray. It's a slim chance, a very slim chance, but Sly's cousin may be the only thing standing between us and this disaster." _As Guru said this he motioned to the scene around him and Murray. _"Bentley finds this letter, I have these visions, and you all are going to Egypt. This is no coincidence, this is our destiny." _

"You're right Master, not that you're not right all the time." Guru smiled at Murray's last comment.

"_Now Murray, you must inform Sly, Bentley, and Penelope about all I've shown and spoken to you about. Meanwhile, I'll speak to the Panda King. He's the only member of the gang I've been able to stay in contact with."_ Murray nodded and was about to ask about Dimitri, but then a more important question hit him.

The Guru was about to bid Murray a good bye when the hippo asked, "Wait, Master! What about Morrigan?" Guru raised an eyebrow, seeming to forget the crocodile he'd met a few Christmases ago. "My girlfriend, what about her?" It was very obvious that Murray was worried out of his mind.

The Guru sighed and placed one of his small hands on one of Murray's large shoulders. "_We are risking our lives by doing this, Murray. I've taught you that all life is sacred, correct?"_ Murray nodded_. "Well bringing Morrigan on this journey will only put her in danger. You may stay in contact with her, but until out work is done, it may be best for her to stay home."_ Murray agreed with his master, convincing Morrigan to return to their home in New York wasn't going to be very easy however. _"Like I said, we may be putting our lives in danger and we mustn't risk anyone else's life if we can." _

"Very well, Master. I will do my best." Murray said this calmly, even though he knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task.

"_I know you will, you always do." _The Guru gave Murray a kind smile before removing his hand from the hippo's shoulder. _"I will also do my best to convince Panda King to join us. Whether he joins or not, I will meet you and the rest in Egypt."_

"Alright." Murray said, releasing a grunt as he got off his knees and stood up. Guru raised his staff high, ready to send Murray out of his "dream" and back into reality. But the koala stopped, he needed to remind Murray of one more thing.

"_Murray,"_ the hippo looked away from the sky and back at his master, "_I know this is allot to take in for you, but you must remember one thing. This is our destiny."_

Murray smiled, hiding how truly scared and worried he was. "I know." Guru nodded and slammed his staff on the ground.

"Master!" Murray yelled this as he popped up in bed. He looked around him to see that he was no longer in the death filled Paris and was back in his bedroom. Murray looked to his side and saw Morrigan, curled up under the blankets and fast asleep.

Murray panted frantically as he fumbled out of bed. He exited his room and entered the nearby bathroom, flipping the switch on as he entered. The lights above the mirror turned on so Murray could look into his shock filled face. His face was currently a jumble of emotions, shock, fear, excitement, and worry. There was also sweat pouring down his pink face, but that was quickly done away with when Murray grabbed a towel and wiped it away.

"Ugh." Murray let out this odd sound as he stretched his arms out wide, still panting. After he had calmed down, Murray looked back in the mirror and asked himself, "Was that all a dream?" Murray was about to believe himself when he noticed something on his shoulder. Using his much larger fingers, Murray pulled a tiny, purple hair off of his shoulder and up to his eyes. Knowing immediately that this hair belonged to the Guru, Murray whispered to himself, "Man, do I got some explaining to do in the morning."

Bentley stared out the window, his skin looking a little greener then usual. He, along with Penelope, Murray, and Sly were all on a plane. They had been in the air for a long time, and Bentley was feeling a little sick. He had flown with the gang many times before, but this was different.

Bentley always had a slight fear of heights and he easily suffered from motion sickness, but never had he been so worried on an airplane. It wasn't because he'd worried it would crash or because he was scared of someone seeing through his disguise. It was because of what Murray had told them this morning.

It was easily one of the most terrifying things Bentley had ever heard. The image of himself, Sly, and Penelope dead terrified him. But something else bothered the turtle. When Murray had first told him and the gang that the Guru believed that a disaster was coming, Bentley refused to believe it. Nothing had occurred recently to signal that this tragedy, which according to the Guru, was only months away. Also, the intelligent turtle was extremely skeptical when Murray said he thought that Sly's cousin was tied to it all.

However Bentley, as the time had passed on the plane, began to believe Murray and the Guru more and more. Maybe, just maybe, some evil force was rising and it did have some plan involving Sly's cousin. It was a stretch, but Bentley had now believed it. He had no idea who was behind all of this, or what they wanted with the long lost Cooper, but he did know one thing. Bentley knew that if they wanted to stop it they needed to find Sly's cousin, and fast.

Bentley, who had become sick of staring out the plastic window, quickly turned away to see Penelope. She was dressed in a female business suit, her hair held in a bun and a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. Bentley like her also had sunglasses but was wearing a male business suit. Bentley let out a chuckle, seeing that Penelope tried to look like she was busy on her black berry when she was really just playing a game of Tetris.

Bentley looked past the mouse to see Sly sitting next to her. Sly, since he had been gone from the gang for so long, was wearing one of his old disguises. The raccoon was dressed in the punk rock disguise he had worn on the gang's trip to Australia. Bentley frowned, seeing how Sly looked rather sad. The turtle couldn't help but feel a little guilty about taking him away from Carmelita. Also Bentley had felt bad about how awkward he'd been acting around the raccoon. Bentley really couldn't explain why he was acting this way, but he didn't like it. He wanted it to be the way it used to be, with him being friends with Murray _and_ Sly, but Bentley just couldn't seem to manage it.

Bentley then took a look at the last member of the gang. He looked over his shoulder to see the seat directly behind his. Murray sat there, a look on his face similar to Sly's. The row he sat in had an empty seat in the middle and one that held a snoring cow on the outside. Murray was looking at the empty seat, no doubt thinking of Morrigan.

On the way to the airport, after Murray explained what had occurred last night, he informed Morrigan she would not be coming. Initially she thought he was joking, but after a few minutes it was clear he was dead serious. The Guru believed that it was only the Gang's destiny to find the lost Cooper and that Morrigan should return home. Murray told Morrigan that gang were risking their lives and he didn't want her doing the same, frightening Bentley in the process. He had forgotten the "risking our lives" part.

As expected, Morrigan did not want to leave, mainly because she wanted to be with Murray and wanted to join them on their adventure. Bentley, Sly, and Penelope believed that Morrigan might never leave, but luckily a few private words from the hippo were enough to calm her down. Once at the airport, Sly snatched a tourist's ticket to New York City and gave it to Morrigan. It was a rather emotional moment for the couple, but they eventually were able to say goodbye.

Bentley didn't like seeing one of his best friends so upset, so he decided to get Murray's mind off of Morrigan. "Hey, Murray," Murray looked up to see his friend talking to him over the seat, "You said the Guru was going to meet us in Egypt, correct?"

"Yeah." Murray said, now looking a bit happier. "He also said he'd try to get Panda King. I don't know about Dimitri though. But we gotta get him back somehow, considering Guru said we need the whole gang to save the world." Murray said this as if it was a normal thing, but Bentley rolled his eyes. He was still a little skeptical about everything, especially the idea that the gang was doing something as big as saving the world. He might believe that they were stopping some villain with an evil plan, but saving the world was a bit much.

Bentley didn't want to upset Murray anymore by admitting his doubt of the Guru, so he simply addressed the thing about Dimitri. "Yes, Dimitri's position in prison may make it hard for him to rejoin the gang." Bentley laughed a little and said, "I don't think I can pull of _another _prison break." Bentley was happy to see a smile appear on Murray's face. "We may have to manage without him this time."

Murray was about to repeat what the Guru had told him when a voice echoed through the plane. Everyone fell silent as the pilot announced, "Passengers, please buckle up as we began our descent into Cairo." The passengers, including our heroes, erupted into applause. They had been in the plane for what seemed like forever and it felt good to know they'd soon be off. Sly turned to his friends, a smirk on his face.

"Well Cooper Gang, it looks like we got some work to do." Sly looked at his friends, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Everybody smiled.

The Cooper Gang had indeed returned.

A/N: This by far my favorite chapter so far. It was allot shorter than the past few chapters, but I really liked it. I was able to really introduce the whole mystery aspect with the Guru and Murray's part. Okay in the next chapter we FINNALY get to the missions as we dive deeper and deeper into the mystery behind Sly's cousin and this evil, unknown plan. (Dramatic much lol) Anyways please review, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. The characters of Afolabi Kwala'an, Sefu, and Neophron Maximus are owned by **MasterofHearts1313. **Speaking of which, I'd like to thank **MasterofHearts1313 **for helping me with this level. He helped me allot with its enemies, characters, and missions. Thanks man and please enjoy. Also, so everybody knows, every level begins with the usual narration from Sly and episode name.

**CHAPTER 5**

_I had never felt so odd in my entire life when the gang and I landed in Cairo. On our way out of the capitol, I saw Bentley blowing dust off the old projector in the back of the van. Like I said, I just felt very, very odd. I was happy for the gang reuniting, sad about Carmelita, worried about the Guru's message, and confused as to why Bentley acted so weird around me. But most of all, it was my cousin who made me feel so strange. I don't even know the guys name and he still seems more important than anything me and the guys have ever dealt with. Was some horrible tragedy actually on its way, and if so what did he have to do with it and how would he help the gang prevent it? I have so many questions about this "long lost relative" of mine and no answers at all. _

_Anyways, the night after we left Cairo, Murray had another late night visit from Guru. The mystic had shown Murray the palace that he had seen the raccoon, who was supposedly my cousin, being dragged to by guards. When Murray awoke, he described it to us in full detail. Sure enough, Bentley was able to locate it and we headed off._

_On the way to this palace, Bentley began doing his usual research. In a matter of hours, he was able to discover the owner of this palace was a man known as Afolabi Kwala'an. His name meant "born in wealth" and this couldn't be truer. Afolabi was born into a wealthy family of tomb raiders. He probably would have followed in his parents footsteps, well if it weren't for a construction explosion that killed the two raiders. Of course the kid inherited a ton of riches, but he chose not to be a tomb raider. Instead he used his riches to buy big and successful business, earning him even more money. So, with his large accumulation of money, the nineteen year old decided to buy his very own palace and most of the land around it. He also built houses on this land, charging the villagers who lived in them. _

_To me this kid sounded like some spoiled brat, but to Bentley he was much more threatening. Via , Bentley discovered that Afolabi had recently joined a gang of thieves. This gang's name and objectives were unknown, but they seemed to have popped out of nowhere. With Afolabi's capturing of my cousin, we assumed that this gang needed him for some reason. If this gang was what was going to cause this disaster, we didn't know. But you can't blame me for being a little suspicious. Suspicious or not though, we needed to get my cousin out of there as soon as possible._

_**SLY COOPER AND THE GANG IN: SECRETS in the SANDS**_

Sly looked into the mirror, puffing out his chest and a smile on his face. He was in his room of their current safe house, which was a supposedly abandoned house in Afolabi's village. In the full body mirror that stood in front of Sly, he saw himself dressed in his old gear. He wore his blue boots, red pouch on his leg, blue shirt and yellow belt, and two blue gloves with the yellow trim. The raccoon truly did look like his old self, but he was still missing two things.

Sly finished his posing and looked over to his bed. His smile faded as he looked at the blue cap and mask that lied there. It was a very weird feeling, being back in his old clothes. He had held them ever since he had left the gang, but never had he put them on. It almost seemed forbidden, with Carmelita always being around and what not. On instinct, the raccoon looked around for the fox. Sorrow immediately filled his mind, remembering that his former girlfriend was no longer with him.

With a quivering hand, Sly grabbed the blue cap and slapped it on. He wanted it on as quick as possible, considering it was very hard to do so and Bentley had assigned him a recon mission. He looked in the mirror, unable to hold back his smile any longer. Seeing his father's old cap always cheered him up.

All of a sudden, the sound of creaking floor boards filled Sly's room. He quickly turned to his open doorway, just in time to see Bentley roll in. Bentley was also dressed in his old gear and holding something in his hands. Sly was unable to see it due to the newspaper around it. Bentley had a grin on his face; making it the happiest he'd looked around Sly in awhile.

"Hey I was looking for this Interpol agent known as Constable Cooper. Any chance you've seen him?" Bentley said this with a sly tone in his nasally voice. Bentley continued grinning, while he chuckled along with Sly.

"Normally I'd make some clever comeback, but I'm just not in the mood right now." Sly didn't say this meanly, but Bentley was able to hear the sadness in Sly's voice. He looked at his friend curiously. As they had spoken, Sly had reached for the mask, hesitated, and pulled his hand away.

Bentley raised an eyebrow and asked, "What seems to be the problem, Sly?" Sly looked over his shoulder at his reflection and then back at Bentley.

"I….I," Sly stuttered as he chose his words wisely. "I'm just having some trouble adjusting. I spent five years with Carmelita and now I'm a thief again. Now don't think I don't want to be here, because even though I love Carmelita, I'm happier now than I ever was at Interpol." The last sentence made Bentley smile. "Like I said, it's just the whole adjusting thing. Being a thief again is little harder than I expected."

Bentley thought about Sly's predicament and came up with an idea. "Well you did quite a bit of training in the Hazard Room back in Paris, but I'm sure I can build a quick one here. It might take some time, but I'm sure there is room in the basement." Sly laughed a little at Bentley's suggestion.

"No Bentley, it's not that. It's _being _a thief that's hard." Sly rubbed the back of his neck. "I was Constable Sylvester Cooper, a respected Interpol officer, and now I'm back to being Sly Cooper, the leader of the greatest gang of thieves ever. It's a big change." Bentley now understood his long time friend's words.

Bentley looked at the mask that lied on Sly's bed. He slowly rolled towards the bed and picked it up. He held it in front of his glass covered eyes and looked at Sly. "Five years or a lifetime, you are Sly Cooper." Bentley rolled the mask up and placed it into the raccoon's gloved hand. "You are the greatest of all the Coopers. I know it, Murray knows it, the whole world knows it, and deep down, you know it to." Sly smiled widely at Bentley. Words like this reminded him why Bentley was that gang's brains. "I know you'll be fine."

Sly clenched the mask in his palm tightly. "You're right. Then again, you're always right." Sly began to put on his mask as Bentley rolled his eyes. The turtle knew he had made mistakes even though Murray and Sly always insisted he was the smartest guy ever. Looking at Bentley now through the mask's eye holes, Sly said, "So Bent, now I have a question for you."

"And what might that be?" Bentley asked this, assuming that Sly's point of curiosity lied in his hands. Sly pointed to the newspaper covered object.

"What's that? You and Murray aren't pulling some kind of "welcome back to the gang" prank on me are you?" Bentley laughed at his friend's assumption. Bentley then slowly unwrapped the object.

"No Sly, it's not. If anything, it's more like a "welcome back to the gang" gift." Sly suddenly became more interested, his ears perking at the mention of the word "gift." Bentley soon tossed the newspaper aside to reveal it was a binocucom. It looked just like Sly's, but with one difference. It looked brand new. Its smooth, metal skin shined and reflected the two's faces back at them.

"A new binocucom!" Sly caught his new gadget as Bentley tossed it in the air. He looked through it as he tested its picture taking abilities.

"I just finished it last night. Only took me a few days to replicate your original." Bentley looked at Sly proudly. "You'll find that it is still able to communicate with everyone else's binocucom, and can now take clearer pictures. I also added a new device, but we can talk more about that when you're in the field." Sly slipped the new binocucom into his red pouch.

"Thanks, Bentley." Bentley nodded and gave his friend a high five. The turtle started rolling towards the door, but Sly stopped him. He still had a question that was bothering him, and now seemed the best time to ask it. "Um Bentley," Bentley turned around and rose an eyebrow. "You got time for one more question?"

"Of course, Sly. After all, it's pretty much what I do for a living. Make plans and answer the gang's questions." Sly smiled, but this soon disappeared. A little worried by the sudden change of mood, Bentley's smile followed suit.

Sly looked around, wishing he had never asked Bentley. But knowing there was no way out, Sly said, "You've been acting kind of weird around me lately. I don't know if you're annoyed, or even mad at me, but why? Until now, you've kind of been giving me the cold shoulder." Bentley suddenly became very uncomfortable, and Sly could sense it.

Bentley desperately wanted to say he didn't know what he was talking about, but he couldn't. He knew very well what his friend was talking about. Bentley had indeed been rather cold towards Sly, even though he didn't mean it. Bentley supposed it was just misplaced anger, but he knew where it was coming from. Something had occurred at the Cooper Vault, which despite Murray's wise words, still bothered him. Bentley always thought he was over what had happened, but now that Sly was back in the gang things were different. Sly was Bentley's brother, but with him back, old feeling started to resurface.

Bentley was about to come out with what was bothering him when Murray came in. He had just woken up from his pizza induced nap. He looked very tired and had a slice of cheese stuck to his cheek. "Bentley, the suns setting. You told me to tell you when it was so," Bentley raised his hand, silencing Murray.

"Yes I remember, Murray." Murray nodded, peeled the pizza off his face, took a bite, and left. "Well while Murray goes back into his coma, how about you go out and take some reconnaissance." Bentley forced a smile, trying to lessen the awkwardness between him and Sly. Sly forced a smile as well and left.

In a few minutes Sly was on the safe house's roof. He looked upon the small homes that seemed to go on forever. These homes, along with the gang's safe house, were made out of clay. There was a large, marble fountain in the town's market, which was in the very middle of town. At the very back of this town was a huge palace, which was by far the largest building there. Sly's jaw dropped as he stared at the beautiful palace. It looked like the home of a sultan, with its golden walls and huge domed roof. Jewels were encrusted along the walls and dome's, making them shine brighter then the setting sun. Even though the owner of the palace was a spoiled brat who had kidnapped his cousin, Sly had to admit it was a beautiful sight.

Sly snapped out of his trance when he felt his new binocucom vibrate. He quickly pulled the binocular like device out of his pouch and stared into it. "Beautiful isn't it." Sly nodded at Bentley's statement. The setting sun, the miles of sand the surrounded the town and the shining palace made the humble houses look amazing.

"Bentley, is there any chance we can just steal that whole palace?" Bentley laughed at Sly's statement. The turtle had already looked upon the beautiful palace and he had to agree with Sly. Just one of its jewels would be worth thousands, but the gang had more important matters to attend to.

"I wish, but Sly let's focus on something a little more possible." Sly nodded, finally tearing his attention away from the priceless home. "Alright, I know very little about Afolabi's defenses, plans, or even where he's keeping your cousin, so it only seems smart to take some recon."

"Yes of course." Sly said this with a roll of the eyes. He had taken recon many, many times before. It was now to the point where he was able to tell when it was coming and what exactly Bentley wanted him to take pictures of.

Bentley ignored Sly and continued. "Everything we're looking for should be in the palace. So just head that way and I should be able to give your further instructions from there." Sly nodded and was about to hang up when Bentley said, "Wait, Sly! Just a reminder, be careful with the guards. As it gets darker, Afolabi sends more, and more on patrol. Just stick to the rooftops as best you can."

"And one plus one equals two. Bentley, I got this." Sly said this cleverly as he hung up on the turtle. Sly stood on the roof for a moment. He was still thinking about what had occurred between him and Bentley in the safe house. Bentley was about to say why he'd been acting so coldly to him lately, but Murray interrupted. _"What could it have been?_" Sly held his chin as the thought about it.

Sly's thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps from below. Now in thief mode, Sly crept over to the safe house's edge and looked over. The sight confirmed Bentley's warning. Like every place the gang had stolen from, there were guards on patrol. On the ground a large leopard was walking by, flash light in one hand and a saber in the other. Sly flinched at the sight of the saber. It was as large as the leopard's arm, but the guard's other weapon is what really frightened him. On the guards back he carried a large holster that held many throwing spears. Sly immediately knew this was one of the large flash light guards that, even though they were easy to Murray, were hard for the rest of the gang to defeat.

After a quick gulp, Sly noticed all the other flashlight guards patrolling and backed away. The raccoon knew he could no longer wait, and after the guard below walked around the corner, he leapt onto the roof across from his. He looked left and right, trying to find the shortest route to the palace. He eventually decided left and headed that way. Sly jumped a few roofs before he found a clothes line. He ran across that until it ended three roofs from the palace.

Sly had dodged all of the roof top guards. He was quite proud of himself. Five years had passed but he hadn't missed a beat. He snuck by all the guards, silently and quick as ever. When he hopped of the clothes line, one roof top guard, a chimpanzee with a bag of rocks tied to his belt, stood there. Sly grinned when he saw the chimp had fallen asleep on the job. His cane at the ready, Sly snuck behind the chimp. With two swift motions, Sly knocked him into the air and slammed him back down. Sly smiled as the guard was knocked out without even emitting so much as a gasp.

After admiring his work, Sly continued his run to the palace. He had soon reached the last house roof. He stood on it and was now able to admire how big palace truly was. All of Afolabi's guards patrolled this area, Leopards, Chimpanzees and Hyenas that carried clubs. There was a large golden staircase that led up to the palace's courtyard. The courtyard had beautiful green grass, palm trees, and a statue of Afolabi in the center. At the back of the courtyard there was a large pair of golden doors that no doubt led into the palace.

Sly pulled out his binocucom and looked into it. Soon Bentley picked up and Sly said, "Alright Bent, I'm right in front of Afolabi's palace. Do you want me to sneak through to doors or something?" Bentley was about to say something when Sly continued, "There is a ton of guards, but I'm sure there are enough trees in the courtyard to hide behind. I can slip right by the,"

"Sly!" Sly suddenly stopped speaking. "Sorry about that, but you need to know something. To you Afolabi Kwala'an may seem like some spoiled rich kid, but this nineteen year old shouldn't be underestimated."

"And why is that?" Sly was a little more than skeptical. As much as Bentley had told him not to underestimate him, Sly just felt that Afolabi wasn't much of a threat. In fact, the only slightly scary thing about him was his membership in this mysterious new gang.

"On I discovered that Afolabi is actually a technological genius." Sly let out a snort of laughter, receiving a death glare from Bentley in return. "I'm not kidding, Sly. This guy took schooling in electronics and advanced mechanics. With his education and fortune, Afolabi equipped his palace with one of the most advanced and complicated security systems I've ever seen."

Sensing the seriousness in Bentley's voice, Sly stopped being so skeptical and asked, "Well what makes it so _advanced _and _complicated_?" Bentley pushed his glasses up as he turned his attention to the computer. He clicked the mouse a few times before he went wide eyed.

"I was able to find some blueprints of the security system, and I must admit it's rather impressive." Bentley returned his attention to Sly. "There is an array of traps hidden in the palace's halls and courtyard. If we even set a foot in there we could be torched by a flame thrower, or skewered by spear, or crushed by a mallet, or" As Bentley named all the possible traps, he started hyperventilating and sweating, but Sly calmed him down.

"Whoa, Bentley! Just chill out!" Bentley did as Sly said. After he seemed fine, Sly asked, "So how come the guards and Afolabi are able to walk through the courtyard and palace?" Sly looked upon the guards who marched through the courtyard. Not a single one of them had been torched or skewered, but why?

"Well that's why it's so advanced and complicated. Take a picture of one of the guard's necks." Sly was a little confused, but he did listen to his friend. He looked at a hyena that stood by Afolabi's statue and zoomed in. Sly saw that around the guard's neck was a golden necklace with a red ruby in the center. Sly snapped a picture and it immediately popped up on Bentley's computer. "What does that look like to you, Sly?"

From the way he said this, Sly knew that Bentley already had the answer. But Sly humored his friend and answered, "It looks like some fancy necklace. And from the looks of it, all the guards have them." Sly had just now noticed the guards were wearing matching necklaces.

"Well those aren't just necklaces. They're the only thing standing between the guards and one of those traps." Sly raised an eyebrow as Bentley continued, "Afolabi installed millions of sensors inside the palace's walls. A device in the necklace's fake ruby lets these sensors know they are not intruders. But if someone like us were to walk into the sensor's range, the system would activate and the nearest trap would be set off." Sly store in awe at his friend. He now believed Bentley that it was best not to underestimate the wealthy man.

"So what you're saying is that without those necklaces, we can't get near that palace whatsoever. And since all those guys are so close to it, I can't steal one from them without setting off a trap." Bentley nodded nervously. "Well geez Bentley, how am I supposed to take recon then?"

"I don't think you were listening closely, Sly. I said he had millions of sensors in the palace's _walls. _I never said anything about the ceiling." Sly and Bentley exchanged slick looks.

"Oh air vents, a thief's best friend." Sly gave Bentley a wink and said, "I'll call you if I see anything important." Sly then hung up on Bentley and began searching for a way to palace's roof.

At the very edge of the courtyard, there was a palm tree taller than the others. It stood taller than the palace's walls, thus making it out of the sensor's range. Sly suddenly got an idea and backed up. After running it through his mind, Sly began a run and leapt off the house he stood on. Once in the air, Sly released one of his paraglides. The wind blew him through the air, and since the sun had now set and night had begun, the guards we unable to see the thief right above their heads. He soon landed on top of the palm tree, not setting off a single trap. He released a sigh of relief and jumped onto the palace's roof, which was only a few inches below the tree's top.

When Sly landed he was pleased to see that not a single guard patrolled the roof. This was probably because there seemed to be no way down except jumping or sliding down a tree. Sly skimmed the roof for an air vent. Sure enough, he found one on the floor a few inches away. It looked old and rusted and a few pulls would be enough to break it open. Sly placed his cane on the ground, rubbed his hands together, and took a firm grip on the vent's top. He was about to pull when a sound interrupted him. A loud screech heard from above and the guard's below began running. Sly had little time to look over the roof's edge and see something swoop down and leave with a chimpanzee guard.

"Help!" The chimp screamed as it was taken into the air by a large, screeching monster. Sly looked below to see the guards did nothing at all and returned to their posts, as if nothing had happened.

"What the," Sly never finished speaking as the creature that had taken the chimp swept by him. The flying creature didn't touch Sly, or even notice him for that matter, but Sly did see it. The creature was a giant, at least the size of a car, Egyptian Vulture. On reflex, Sly pulled out the binocucom and snapped a picture.

The picture was sent to Bentley's computer, and the turtle was so surprised he nearly choked on his sandwich. Sly soon called Bentley and he picked up half way through the first vibration. "Bentley! What-the-hell is that!" Sly shouted into the binocucom, not taking his eyes of the air borne monstrosity.

Immediately Bentley responded, "For the love of all that is science, that's Neophron Maximus!" After a long silence on the other end, Bentley explained, "It's an ancient creature of Egyptian Mythology. They were said to be the most vicious bird of all time, unable to be tamed and always hungry." Bentley took a breath, still shocked by the picture. He finished, "But like I said, they were apart of mythology. They aren't supposed to be real!"

Sly blinked a few times, but the giant bird was still flying in the distance. "Well Neophron….Neophron….Neophron whatever looks pretty damn real to me!" Sly watched in terror as the bird faded into the distance, the chimpanzee screaming the whole way.

"Oh dear, oh dear! Sensors, traps, and now a monster that was _suppose _to never exist! We'll never get into the palace now, never!" Bentley then suddenly gasped and said in a quivering voice, "N…Neophron Maximus's favorite meal is…turtle meat! No! This is not good Sly, this is not good! Abort, abort!" Sly rolled his eyes as his friend went ballistic on the other end.

"Bentley! How many times do I have to tell you to chill?" Bentley fell silent, but his face still showed his fear and worry. "Guru said he'd meat us as soon as possible. I'm sure he can easily posses the thing and get it out of the way. Now let's focus on something we can do right now, like that recon I need to be doing."

Bentley nodded as sweat poured down his face. "Yeah…..you're right. Now let's finish up this recon. Penelope, where's my inhaler!" Sly laughed as his friend hung up. After recovering from had occurred with the monster, Sly griped the old vent lid and ripped it clean off.

Sly tossed the hunk of metal aside, picked up his cane and dived inside. Almost immediately he landed and began crawling. Sly crawled through for a few minutes, dodging all the vents that led into the sensor filled walls. The raccoon eventually came to two vents and was unsure of which way to go. However, he heard a muffled sound that he assumed was speaking coming from the left. He followed this way until he found a downward vent. He looked over the edge and saw what looked like a throne room. Sly knew he had found what he was looking for and leapt down.

Sly was relieved to find this vent's lid was much stronger then the other and was able to support him. He crouched down and peered into the throne room. Sly rolled his eyes as he saw that the left and right sides of the long room were covered with statues, all of Afolabi striking different poses. Valuable tapestries hung from the walls, but the most notable thing were the millions of Egyptian symbols that covered every inch of the golden walls.

"Stand up straight! If the Prince were to walk in right now, would you want to be seen slouching? I didn't think so." Sly looked over to where the loud, booming voice had come from.

In front of the throne, which was at the very end of the room, a rather old looking elephant stood. He was talking to one of the few leopards guard's patrolling the room. Sly was rather surprised by the leopard's reaction. He seemed terrified of the elephant that, even though he was a few inches taller, looked very old, had a hunch, and was covered with robes. Sly took a picture of him before the elephant began yelling at another guard about holding his saber the wrong way.

Bentley had received the photo and popped up on the binocucom. "That's Sefu, Sly. I'm glad you got a picture of him, because he might pose a threat to us."

"Bentley," Sly said brushing of what Bentley had just said. "This Sefu guy looks like a bag of bones. A few whacks from my cane could send him into a coma." Bentley gasped, as if Sly's words were blasphemy.

"Sly, I wouldn't go mocking Sefu if I were you." Sly listened carefully as Bentley continued, "He was a member of Afolabi's parent's tomb raiding team. When they died, he raised the orphan as his own. Obviously he's grown attached to the boy over the years and won't let anyone ever lay a hand on him." Sly was about to speak but Bentley interrupted, "And yes Sly, this guy can defend himself. His name means sword for goodness sake!" Sly was about to continue arguing with Bentley, but the huge doors at the front of the room busted open.

A red carpet rolled in, right through the middle and ending at the throne. Sefu, along with Sly and Bentley, rolled his eyes as Afolabi strutted in. He was a thin cheetah dressed in red, silk robes with yellow shoes that were curled at the end. He had long, black hair that he kept in a ponytail. Along with the silk robes and shoes, which were probably worth hundreds, he had all sorts of jewelry. Every finger had one or two rings on it, all made of gold and priceless jewels. He had golden bracelets, necklaces, and ear rings. He, like his guards and Sefu, wore the same necklace that kept them safe from traps. Finally, to top it all off, he wore a pointy, yellow and red pharaoh's crown.

"All hail, Prince Afolabi Kwala'an!" This was shouted by one of the many animals that followed Afolabi. As the cheetah walked down the carpet, a barrage of animals followed, throwing flowers and beating tambourines.

"Prince?" Sly asked this, disgust in his voice.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. He's another one of those self proclaimed royalty types." Sly let out a groan. "I know, I know, Rajan was enough, but were going to have to deal with it."

Soon Afolabi reached his throne and collapsed onto it. With a smile, in a cocky, boasting voice, Afolabi proclaimed, "Thank you my loyal subjects!" The group applauded loudly, until Afolabi suddenly became serious. His smile gone, he pulled a wad of Egyptian currency out of his sleeve and tossed it on the floor. The group of animals viciously began fighting over the money as Afolabi spoke. "Alright peasants, you may return to your homes now. I can promise you even more money if you escort me to the town market tomorrow morning, just come with a little more energy, okay?" The animals just continued over the money. "Very well, I've had enough of you as well. Leave me! And return those necklaces I gave you on your way out."

Afolabi then noticed that the animals weren't listening and just continued their battle over the money. He looked upon the people with disgust and snapped his fingers. Every guard in the room pulled out a throwing spear and prepared to launch. The citizens of the town noticed this, grabbed the last of the money, and ran out as quick as possible.

Sly grimaced at Afolabi. He had only seen the man for a minute and already disliked him. He zoomed in on the cheetah, who was currently admiring his reflection in a mirror while he sat on his throne. Sly took a picture and it was only a few seconds before Bentley gave his usual commentary.

"Well, in case you haven't figured it out yet, that's Afolabi. As you can see his a bit, a bit…."

Sly then said, "Self centered, spoiled, greedy, and a total drama queen." Bentley agreed with Sly and nodded.

"Um yeah that." Bentley and Sly then watched as Sefu approached Afolabi. He stood next to the self proclaimed prince and his mouth began moving. It was obvious he was speaking, but the elephant was talking so lowly no one but the two of them could hear it. Sly was about to ask what to do, but Bentley said, "Well it looks like it's time to put your new gadget to work, Sly."

"And how do I do that?" Bentley, as usual, started his instruction.

"Your new binocucom comes with a dart firing device." When Bentley said this, Sly noticed a small red button he had never seen on his old binocucom. "Its darts contain a speaker like device, allowing you to hear whatever people are saying through your binocucom, even if they are a good distance away." Sly grinned and got his finger ready.

"So I suppose all I have to do is press this red button." Sly pressed the red button and jumped. Exactly when he pushed it, a small barrel popped out of the side. He looked back into the binocucom to find it now had an aiming device in the middle. "Nice job, Bentley."

"Thank you. Also its voice activated, so to shoot one just say fire." Sly aimed at the top of the throne, a foot above Afolabi's head. Sly whispered the word fire and a blue dart went flying. It zoomed past the guards, not alerting them whatsoever, and landed on the exact spot Sly aimed. "Perfect aim! Also, just remember to dispose of the dart before you leave. To do that you just press the red button again. It'll cause the dart to silently detonate."

Sly and Bentley were about to continue their conversation when the crackling of a speaker was heard. They knew that the dart activated when Sefu and Afolabi's voice came pouring into the binocucom. The two thieves listened carefully to the elephant and cheetah's conversation.

"Afolabi, may I have a word with you, my adoptive son?" Sefu was speaking in a very different voice. He sounded much calmer and kinder, then when he was talking to the guards.

"Of course, Sefu! I always have time for you." As Afolabi said this, he didn't take his eyes off his reflection for one moment.

"It's about your recent raids." Afolabi flinched, for a moment it seemed he was more interested in Sefu then his own reflection. "I'm worried that we are beginning to gather the attention of the government. They're asking questions, allot of questions."

Afolabi placed the mirror down and turned to the slightly worried Sefu. "Sefu, we've been raiding these ancient tombs for ages. Sure my business's produce billions of dollars, but they are nothing compared to the worth of those relics." Afolabi admired one of his bigger rings, no doubt one he had taken from a tomb. "And in case you've forgotten, I'm not the one who raids the tombs. The guards do _our_dirty work. If anyone's getting caught raiding a tomb, it's going to be those imbeciles. Also, if the government for some reason figures out we're behind it, a million dollar bribe should be enough to turn their heads."

Afolabi laughed, but Sefu wasn't humored. "Afolabi, you must understand that money is not the answer to everything." Afolabi busted out into laughter but Sefu ignored him. "I am proud of your fortune and your recent enrollment in the Dark Low, but your excessive spending has become too much!"

Sly ignored the two's bickering for a minute and asked Bentley, "The Dark Low? Is that the name of the gang he's apart of?" Sly let out a chuckle, he had no idea why a group of thieves would want to be called that.

"I suppose so. And don't laugh Sly. If this gang is what's behind what Guru saw, these guys must be very, very dangerous." Sly knew that Bentley was confused about the name as much as him, but they returned to Sefu and Afolabi's conversation.

"Excessive spending?" Afolabi said this as if he had never heard those words together.

"Your clothes, these statues, and this crazy security system! It's too much and I believe that you need to focus less on technology, and more on having more competent guards!" Afolabi was about to object when the doors busted open. Two guards came marching in, holding something in their arms. Behind them came a hyena guard, carrying a very familiar staff.

Sly and Bentley gasped. They looked at the staff and then back at the other guards. The two leopard guards were holding the Guru, each holding one arm while the outback mystic struggled. "Prince Afolabi, we found this intruder wandering through the town. He put up quite the fight, but it seems that without this staff, he's powerless." The hyena guard said this, holding the staff up high.

Bentley and Sly were too shocked to form words. "What shall we do with him?" Said one of the leopards, pulling out his saber and holding it across the Guru's neck.

Sly was ready to break through vent and attack, but Afolabi said, "No. Don't kill him, well, not yet at least." Sly listened carefully, trying to figure out whether he should take action or not. "For now, lock him up with the other prisoner, but tomorrow, take him out to the dessert. From what I hear, Neophron Maximus is little more hungry then usual. Well, instead of letting him feast on another one of our guards, we'll deliver this tasty treat to him."

"Other prisoner? They must have my cousin locked up in here! And they're going to feed Guru to that monster tomorrow! Those basterds!" Sly was ready to attack, but Bentley calmed him down.

"Sly don't worry! We'll figure this out." Bentley, though trying to be the peace maker, sounded more worried. "True we don't know where they're hiding your cousin or even how we're going to get him out, but I'll find some way….I think."

Sly watched in terror as Sefu and the guards left with Guru, who had seemed to given up on escape. "I sure hope so."

Bentley sighed and said, "Come back to the safe house, Sly. Tomorrow we'll get to work saving the Guru and finding you cousin." Sly reluctantly agreed and hung up. He pressed the red button and the small dart popped into a puff of smoke. Sly then took one last look at the throne room, and left.

_MISSION COMPLETE!_

A/N: Ugh, this chapter ran so much longer then I wanted to. Sorry to anyone who was bored to death, but I promise the rest of the missions will be allot more fun, and hopefully, shorter. And to clarify, this a Sly 4 story. That means that it's going to modeled like a Sly Cooper Game, just with allot more story and no Bentley saying "press the X button." Alright everybody please review, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE! **


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. The characters of Afolabi Kwala'an, Sefu, and Neophron Maximus are owned by **MasterofHearts1313. **The only character in the story right now, owned by me, is Sly's cousin. Alright everybody please enjoy and review.

**CHAPTER 6**

_EPISODE: SECRETS in the SANDS  
MISSION: BLIMP RESCUE _

"Okay I really missed you guys and being a thief, but I sure as hell didn't miss these things." Sly laughed along with Murray when he finished speaking. Bentley, who was setting up the old projector, shot Sly and annoyed look.

Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Penelope had all crowded into the safe house's main room. Sly and Bentley were sitting on the couch, Bentley had just plugged the projector in, and Penelope was on the floor, tinkering away with her R.C. Chopper. Bentley eventually had the projector ready and turned to Penelope.

"Hit the lights please." Bentley asked this but Penelope didn't take her eyes of the chopper. She, still fixed her car, raised her free arm up and flipped the switch. The lights went off and Bentley hit a button, a picture appearing on the wall once he did.

The picture was of Afolabi's palace. "Holy cow! Look at the place!" Murray exclaimed, considering he was the only member who had not seen the palace yet.

Bentley ignored Murray and drew a big question mark on the expensive palace. "Unfortunately, we have no idea where Afolabi is keeping Sly's cousin, or even what he is going to do with him, but we need to find him." Bentley then looked at Murray, sadness in his face. "Also, I'm sorry Murray, but the Guru has been captured by Afolabi's guards."

Murray immediately sprung to his feet. "What…how?" Murray looked like he wanted to shout several other things, but he kept himself calm.

"He was apparently making his way to the safe house." As Sly spoke he didn't take his eyes of the palace's picture. "The guards saw him and took him to Afolabi. They plan on feeding him to Neophron Maximus." Murray looked distressed at Sly's last statement, but also confused because he had no idea what Neophron Maximus was. Sly waved his hand and said, "It's like some giant bird."

Murray was about to yell in anger when Bentley interrupted, "A giant Egyptian Vulture to be exact, and we will stop at nothing till the Guru is safe, Murray." Murray hesitated but he eventually sat back down. "From what I understand, Penelope says the grip on her R.C. Chopper is much stronger thanks to a few modifications, correct?" Penelope nodded, still working on said grip.

"Why does that matter?" Sly looked a little worried.

Smirking, Bentley answered, "Because Penelope is going to fly you up to the blimp Guru is on." Sly let out a groan. He could tell he wasn't going to enjoy this mission. "In the air, they're hoping to run in with Neophron Maximus. With some luck will alive before the beast shows up and we can get Guru out of there."

Sly then decided to talk about something that was bothering him. "I wanna save the Guru as much as Murray, but what about my cousin? He's the whole reason we came here."

"Well I've narrowed his whereabouts down to two possible locations. In the palace itself," Bentley hit the button and a picture of a stone dome in the sand appeared. "Or in one of these underground tombs." Everyone gave Bentley a curious look and he explained, "Afolabi, rather than put them on display, likes to keep his more valuable treasures hidden. He keeps them in these tombs, but so many guards work in there, I wouldn't be surprised if he was hiding something else. Your cousin, for example."

"Alright, when should I go and check it out?" Sly, much to his displeasure, received a look from Bentley that meant "it's not that easy."

"Like Afolabi's palace, the tombs are equipped with the sensor security system." Sly rolled his eyes. These sensors were really starting to bug him.

"Bentley, I've been thinking and why don't we just swipe a few necklaces? I'm sure I can get enough for the gang in a matter of minutes." Bentley did a face palm.

"Sly, if that were possible I would have told you to do it last night." Bentley switched Sly's picture of one of the necklaces. "Afolabi isn't stupid. He only gave the guards who work in the tombs and on palace grounds necklaces." Sly gave him a confused look. "That means that you can't get near enough to swipe one without setting of a trap." Bentley then removed his face from his palm and hit the button. When a picture of some sort of monitor popped up Bentley said, "But unlike the palace, the tomb's security can be shut off. With these monitors, I can hack into the tomb's security and turn it off long enough for you to sneak in and look for your cousin." Sly nodded.

"And what about Murray?" The hippo spoke up. It seemed he wasn't listening, considering he was staring into the distance think about his former master, but he was. "I'm supposed to sit around while my master might be fed to some….some monster!"

Bentley gave a quick nod and switched to a slide of Sefu. "This is Sefu. He is Afolabi's adoptive father and adviser. He is also in charge of all the guards." Bentley knew Murray, like Sly, was going to make a comment about the elephant's age, but Bentley stopped him. "Don't let the old face and hunch fool you, because it's all a façade. Sefu is actually as tough as nails and he, behind Afolabi's back, is known to rough up the guards for fun."

"So what, you want me to beat up an old man?" Murray let out a snicker and said, "I'm rough Bentley, but even I have my boundaries." Bentley pressed the button, making the projector display a house notably bigger than the others.

"I don't want you beating up Sefu, well, not yet at least." Bentley circled the house with marker. "This is where the guards blow off steam. The fight each other in a ring, and most of the time, Sefu comes to watch. He only gives people the _honor _of fighting him one on one if someone is able to beat at least fifty guards."

Murray smirked and cracked his knuckles. "And you want me to fight fifty guards. It's not saving the Guru from a monster, but it'll do, it'll do real good."

"Glad to hear that, Murray." Bentley then looked at Penelope, who was now working on something else. "Penelope, today you have no missions. But tomorrow, you know what to do." Penelope looked up from her work and gave her boyfriend a wink.

"Of course, and I'm working on the new device for it as we speak." Murray and Sly exchanged confused looks, but the two geniuses ignored this.

"Alright Sly, you need to get to that blimp as soon as possible." Sly gave Bentley nod and ran into his room. In a few minutes Sly returned, Murray handing him his red pouch. Sly was all geared up once he tied the pouch around his leg.

"Thanks, Murray. Let's go, Penelope." As Sly headed for the roof through the window, Murray grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Please save my master, Sly." Murray looked very worried. Sly smiled and place a hand on Murray's shoulder as well.

With a grin, Sly said, "We've done it once, we can do it again." Murray smiled, though he still looked worried. After a few seconds, Sly broke away and jumped out the window. Using clay bricks that popped out from the wall, Sly climbed to the roof to find Penelope, chopper in hand. "How did you get up here so quick?"

"It's called the stairs. Really cool stuff, maybe you should try it sometime." Penelope and Sly shared a chuckle as the mouse made some adjustments to the chopper. Sly looked around, in the distance, he saw a black dot. He knew that this must have been the blimp and he gulped, it looked very, very high up over the dessert.

However there was something Sly else bothering him. Lately, Bentley had been allot a nice to him. It felt like the old days, but he still remembered those days where Bentley had been rather cold to him. Sly, by now, was sure Bentley was over it, but he still wasn't sure. He finally decided to ask the person that knew Bentley maybe even better than him and Murray, Penelope.

Penelope was ready to hook up Sly to the chopper, when he asked, "Hey Penelope, can I ask you something?"

Penelope, who was slamming the chopper's clamp shut on Sly's belt answered, "No I'm not going to drop you. As tempting as it is, I think Bentley might be a little upset.

Sly let out an awkward laugh and said, "It's not that. It's about Bentley." Penelope walked around to facer Sly, looking at him oddly. "It looks like he cool now, but not too long ago he was kind of being a jerk."

Penelope though about it and responded, "Yeah I noticed that." Penelope, like Murray, had been extremely nice to Sly when he returned. But this made Bentley's odd attitude even odder. "But he seems fine now. I'm sure he was just nervous, you know, seeing you after so long."

"I guess you're right." Though Sly said this, he didn't believe Penelope. Little did he know, the only people who knew why Bentley acted that way were Murray and Bentley himself.

"Ready for takeoff?" Sly looked at Penelope nervously, giving her a shaking thumb. Penelope gave him a kind smile and said, "You'll be fine." She then started fiddling with the R.C. Chopper's controls and Sly hovered off the ground.

He was relieved to find the toy was strong enough to hold him up, but this feeling was replaced with fear as it rose higher and higher. Soon he was so high above the town, the hose's were dots and the palace was a blotch. Sly wasn't terrified of heights, only when he wasn't in control of his flight. He hovered through the sky. After a few minutes though, he became used to it. The thousands of miles of rolling sand below him and the bright, shining sun above made Sly able to relax He loved how it felt, but things became serious when he saw a blimp.

The blimp was only a few miles away, and as it came into view Sly saw it better and better. It was large and black. Like most blimps, it had the usual control booth at the bottom, but the most notable thing was the picture on the blimp. Sly grimaced as he saw a giant picture Afolabi's head, his cheetah face giving a wink.

Penelope's voice suddenly erupted from Sly's earcom. "Sly, the camera on my R.C. Chopper shows that you're nearing the blimp. Tell me when you're ready to drop." Sly affirmed this as he neared the blimp.

Soon Sly was very close and he saw what he had come for. There was a large platform on the top, allowing all the guards to stand on the blimp. But Sly looked at the back of the platform. At the back, an extremely tall pole stuck out, the Guru tied to the very top. Sly looked infuriated, in the air he saw how the Guru struggled while the guards mocked him. Sly, eyes narrowed, waited till the last second. Even when Sly was right above the platform, the idiotic guards didn't notice his presences.

Then, suddenly, the guards were aware of thief. Sly yelled to Penelope, "Drop!" The chopper immediately released him and flew off. Sly landed on the platform, taking a fighting stance as he did. With his cane ready and the anger on his face, Sly terrified the guards. Sly couldn't help but laugh as he saw a chimp leap of the blimp in fear.

There was silence as the guards store at Sly fearfully. Suddenly, a leopard snapped out of it and shouted, "Idiots! Get him! He's an intruder!" All the guards shouted as they raised their weapons high. Sly just rolled his eyes and ran at the all guards full speed.

Sly, over the years, had fought all sorts of guards. Voodoo powered rats, gun wielding boars, and even mutants created by Dr. M. Sly wasn't worried about their fighting skill, but rather their vast numbers. He knew he fought better then all of them combined, but there was only one of him and many of them. But Sly wasn't going to give up on the Guru so easily.

Once he was close enough, he delivered a swift chop from his cane to a leopard's legs. Flashlight guards were hard for everyone except Murray, so he decided to take as many of them out as quick as possible. He slammed a fellow leopard onto the fallen one and ducked, just in time to dodge a throwing spear. Sly ran towards the leopard who threw it and dropped kicked him, sending him tumbling off the blimp. Suddenly, Sly felt something hit his head. Sly spun around to see a chimp throwing rocks at him. With three of the few leopard guards down, the guards were all running quicker at him. As he made his way to the chimp throwing rocks, he knocked every guard running at him away with his cane.

Once close, the chimp started throwing punches, all of which Sly dodged. Sly wasn't surprised when he sensed a fellow chimp sneaking up behind him. He heard him spinning his arm around faster and faster, ready for a powerful and painful punch. Sly though, at the last second, ducked and saw the punch flow over his head and make contact with the other chimps face. He was knocked out cold and was joined by the other, once Sly sprung up and whacked him over the head.

Soon the chimps, hyenas, and leopard's numbers were depleting. When about five guards were left above, he saw some climbing up from the control booth. Sly averted this by knocking them all off as the climbed up the sides. With most guards gone, and the reinforcements gone as well, three hyenas stood in front of him. The all ran at him but Sly simply grinned, jumped to the side, and witnessed as the hyenas ran right off the blimp.

Sly breathed heavily. He was tired and was glad to have finished the guards, but he wasn't done yet. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Guru tied to the pole. His mouth had been tied, but Sly could tell from his eyes that the Guru was happy to see him. Sly gave a smile and ran over to the pole. Guru's moon stone staff lied at the bottom, but the Cooper left it alone.

Soon Sly had shimmied his way up the pole until he was right below Guru. His legs still wrapped around the pole for support, Sly cut Guru loose with the sharp part of his cane. The Guru immediately fell, but Sly quickly grabbed him by the hand and threw him onto his back. Sly then quickly slid down the pole and back onto the blimp's platform. Sly placed Guru down and handed him his staff, a huge smile on his face.

Guru took the staff and bowed. _"Thank you, Sly Cooper. If it weren't for you, I'd be in the gut of a monster as we speak." _Sly, now realizing it was the right thing to do, bowed in return. _"I have missed the company of you and the rest of our team very, very much." _

"It was no problem, Guru. Also, we missed you to, especially Murray." Guru smiled, thinking about his former student. "I know you taught him to be peaceful and all, but I'm pretty sure he was going to kill me if I couldn't save you." The Guru laughed as Sly turned his earcom back on. "Bentley, Bentley do you read?"

"I read you, Sly. Do you have the Guru?" Sly laughed, he could hear Murray's breathing on the other end as well. No doubt he was dyeing to know the answer.

"Yup safe and sound. I'll paraglide down and I should," Sly was cut short when a loud, screeching noise echoed through the air.

There was a nervous silence before Bentley asked, "Sly….what was that?" Sly didn't answer. Sly and Guru were staring wide eyed and fearful at what was heading towards the blimp. If the guards had beaten Sly their plan to feed Guru would have come true, because Neophron Maximus was heading straight for them.

"B-Bentley….it's here." Sly along with Guru were backing away. "That giant, freaking thing is here! Help!"

Bentley gulped and said, "I'd love to Sly, but I'd never make it in time." Bentley suddenly sounded more worried. "Also, remember what I told you about turtle meat?"

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know…jump!" Sly was about to complain about how Neophron Maximus would just go after them, but he was too late. The bird swooped down, his beak open. Sly quickly tackled Guru and the two rolled out of the way.

"_That creature is coming back, Sly Cooper."_ A distressed Guru yelled. Sly looked up from his place on the ground to see that the bird was taking a massive u-turn. But this time he wasn't swooping down, he was diving straight down towards them.

Sly was now more afraid than ever. Neophron Maximus was diving right at them, like a harpoon, and all he could do was whisper, "He's going to destroy the blimp." Guru looked at Sly confused, not sure what he said. But he didn't receive an answer, because Sly grabbed Guru by the arm, threw him on his back, and dived off the blimp.

On the way down, the Guru was screaming so madly in his language, that all the words in Sly's mind were jumbled and he was unsure of what he was saying. Sly, after they feel a few feet released his paraglide. As they began their slow descent, Sly looked over his shoulder to see Neophron Maximus had flown right through the blimp and out the bottom. The bird had obviously been hurt by this, because he screeched in pain as he flew away. However, while the bird had been hurt, the blimp had been destroyed. Sly watched it hit the ground with a bang, going up in flames as it did.

After a few minutes of silence, the raccoon and the koala landed in the desserts sand. They were panting with shock, staring at each other with faces of relief. "I swear on my father, that if Bentley does something about the damn bird I will." Guru smirked. He loved nature and all his inhabitants, but he had to admit that bird was a menace. Sly pressed his earcom and said, "Bentley, send Murray out with the van. I'm way to far from the town to walk back. Just use the locator in binocucom to find me."

"Alright, Sly." Bentley still sounded worried, but he hung up with that.

Sly sighed and said, "Come on, Guru. The sooner we start walking and meet Murray, the soon we can get back to the safe house." Sly began walking, but after a few seconds he could sense the Guru was not following. Still walking, Sly asked, "Are you coming, or what?"

Guru finally answered by saying, _"Oh of course. I'll be coming with you. I was just wondering what all this was." _Sly raised an eyebrow and turned around. He was about to question the Guru, but the he saw what the gang's mystic was looking at.

There were several tents, all surrounding something. Sly's curiosity got the best of him and he began walking in the camp's direction, ignoring the Guru's questions. Sly soon reached the nearest two tents and peeked between the two. It was definitely a camp, one that all inhabited Afolabi guards. Obviously the rich cheetah knew this, considering there was a small flag blowing with his face on it. There were also tools of all sorts, but Sly was focused on the large thing the tents all surrounded.

It was hard to see, considering all the guards surrounded it and were banging on it with tools. Sly wanted to get a closer look, but he needed a diversion. As if on cue, a hyena guard ran in yelling, "Guys, guys! One of the blimps crashed thanks to that stupid bird, and now it's on fire!" All the guards exchanged worried looks and grabbed the camps barrels of water. Ready to put out the fire, the stupid guards followed the hyena leaving the camp empty.

Sly crept in, making sure that the camp actually was empty. Once he sure it was, he ran over to the spot that all the guards were banging on. He almost passed out at what he saw. At Sly's feet there was a giant stone pair of doors, both slammed tightly shut. The guards must have been trying to open it, considering there seemed no way to enter. But that's not what he cared about.

With both doors together, they formed a face. The face was of a raccoon, one who resembled Sly a lot. Atop his stone head, the raccoon wore an also stone headdress, that usually worn by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Also, on his chin, the raccoon wore a false beard, something also worn by the pharaohs. Sly finally locked his eyes on the rim on the headdress. On it, there was the legendary Cooper Clan symbol.

Sly covered his mouth, stopping himself from gasping. Guru had no made his way next to Sly. The koala looked at the stone raccoon face and then up at Sly. Raising an eyebrow, Guru asked, "A relative of yours?"

Sly slowly removed his hand from his mouth. He looked at the raccoon in the sand long and hard before answering, "Yes….Slytankhamen Cooper. The very first Cooper thief."

_MISSION COMPLETE!_

A/N: What a twist! Lol sorry about that, but with Slytankhamen's tomb being revealed, you'll soon be discovering the true objectives of "the Dark Low." Also I just want to remind people this is a MYSTERY. Allot of people have sent me messages asking me questions and all I can say is wait. Like all mysteries, you're not going to receive answers immediately. As the story progresses, more and more answers will present themselves. Okay now that that's out of the way, please review, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. **MasterofHearts1313**owns the characters of Afolabi Kwala'an, Sefu, and Neophron Maximus. I do, however, own the character of Sly's cousin. Okay before you read, I'm sure you'll notice I labeled the chapter with the episode's name and the mission that will be featured in this chapter. I also went back and did this for Chapter 6. No particular reason I did this besides I wanted you guys to know the mission names. Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 7**

_EPISODE: SECRETS in the SANDS  
MISSION: FIFTY MAN CHALLENGE _

Murray stared out the window blankly. He was standing in the safe house, not moving a muscle. As he stared at the setting sun, he couldn't help but think about all that occurred over the past few weeks, and what happened just mere minutes ago. It was allot to take in for the hippo, who normally, wasn't one to think to hard about things.

Only a few weeks ago, he had left behind a life of fame and fortune to be the Cooper Gang's muscle. Surprisingly, this wasn't what bothered him so much. For a normal person, giving up so much money and attention would've been crazy, but to Murray it wasn't. He loved racing, but that love could never compare to that he had for his friends. However, there was a certain person he was missing.

Murray hadn't talked to Morrigan since she went to New York and he went to Egypt. Murray had adjusted so much to living with his girlfriend it felt weird waking up alone. He had eventually grown used to it, but he still missed her. He had attempted calling several times, always being stopped by Bentley. The turtle, as usual, was always worrying. He was always worried whoever they were stealing from would tap the phone lines and discover them, so he only allowed everyone to make phone calls once the operation was complete.

Murray was worried about Morrigan for a few reasons. Mainly because he worried she was still angry at him, and second he just wondered what she was up to. But for a little bit, his worries of Morrigan disappeared and were replaced by new ones.

When Murray drove out to the dessert to find Sly and Guru, what he found upset him. Sly looked scared, worried, and confused, while Guru just looked confused. Murray wanted to ask, but since Sly wanted to hurry to the safe house, he thought it was best to let the raccoon be. On the way however, Murray had chatted it up with the Guru. He had told his former master how much he missed him and gave him several bear hugs, which nearly killed the small koala. After Guru reminded the hippo how much he missed him as well, the hippo slowly calmed down.

Sly was quiet the whole ride back. He just sat in the passenger's seat, looking out the window and mumbling something. Once back at the safe house, Sly had taken Bentley into another room and started talking to him. Penelope, Guru, and Murray leaned against the door, but were unable to hear a word. After a few minutes of waiting, Guru decided to reveal what he saw with Sly. Apparently the two had found a camp of Afolabi's guards, all of them working on one thing. Two stone doors, which from the Guru's description, bore the face of a raccoon, similar to Sly and dressed in pharaoh clothes.

Obviously, Penelope and Guru had no idea who this raccoon was, but Murray did. Unlike Bentley and Sly, Murray had never read the Thievius Raccoonus all the way through. He did, however, read a portion of each Cooper's section. Not surprisingly, the muscular hippo's favorite part was the pictures. One that he remembered well fit Guru's description perfectly. Murray knew immediately it was Slytankhamen Cooper, enemy of the pharaohs, creator of the Thievious Raccoonus and Cooper Vault, and first Cooper Thief ever.

Murray quickly explained this to Penelope and Guru, making the three of them just as confused. What did Afolabi want with Slytankhamen Cooper? They didn't have much time to think because Sly's room, which was the room Sly and Bentley went into, door opened. Sly didn't come out, but Bentley did.

Penelope rushed over to Bentley and started rambling to the turtle as he moved. "Bentley, Murray told us everything. Did Sly and Guru really find two stone doors with Slytankhamen's face on it? And if so, why were the guards working on it? Also, I have reason to believe these doors may lead to,"

"Penelope," Bentley said this calmly, but she got the picture and stopped talking. Bentley turned to Guru, gave a slight bow of the head and said, "Welcome back Guru, it is good to see you again."

"_Likewise, Mr. Bentley." _Guru said in the turtles mind, also giving a slight bow. Bentley smiled but quickly became serious and looked at Murray.

"Murray, it's almost night fall, and I think its best you did your mission." Bentley took a look out the window to confirm this and said, "Sly and I still need to search those tombs, and I'd like to finish phase one before tomorrow." Murray saluted and grabbed his binocucom and earcom. He tied the pink binocucom to his belt and placed his earcom in his ear, but the hippo wasn't ready to leave.

After a few seconds of staring at Sly's door, he realized the Cooper wasn't coming out. "Bentley, is Sly gonna be alright?" Penelope and Guru got closer, obviously wanting to hear the answer.

Adjusting his glasses, Bentley said, "Yes he'll be fine, he just has to mull things over." Bentley quickly looked over his shoulder and motioned for everyone to move closer. Once everyone did, Bentley whispered, "Sly and I believe these doors lead to Slytankhamen's tomb." Penelope nodded, considering she had, had the idea for several minutes now. "With Afolabi's guards working on it and his connection to the Dark Low, we believe his gang wants the tomb open."

Murray raised an eyebrow. Everyone had been informed of the Dark Low by now, even Guru who Murray explained it to on the way to the safe house. But the hippo was still a little confused. They knew nothing about gang except that they were new, Afolabi was a member, they needed Sly's cousin for some reason, and that they were very, very mysterious. "Why do they want it open?"

Bentley shook his head and said, "I don't know, but there is no way these are all coincidences. The kidnapping of Sly's cousin, and now the attempted opening of Slytankhamen's tomb. He's worried that the Dark Low _do_ indeed have a world destruction plot….and he thinks it involves his family." There was an awkward, odd, and almost eerie silence as Bentley rolled toward his desk and began typing. "Get going, Murray. We can all discuss this more later."

Murray really didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to. The hippo reluctantly exited through the safe house's door. When outside, Murray admired the setting sun and the felt the clay, cobbled ground beneath his boots. Murray had really come to like the small town, but due to the recent development involving the Dark Low and Slytankhamen, it seemed more frightening than pleasant. Murray shivered a little as he shoved the thoughts of what had just happened out of his mind. He quickly pulled out his binocucom and looked into it.

Murray, by now, knew what do. Through the pink binocucom, he was able to see where to go. Another clay house, about a foot taller than the rest, stood in the distance. It would've been hard to find it if it weren't for the built in pin point Bentley always had. Right above the house, a long pink arrow led up to a pink picture of Murray's face, which could only be seen through his binocucom.

Murray put the binocucom and began his trip. After rounding a corner, he saw a pack of hyena guards coming his way. Murray quickly dove back around the corner, an idea hitting him. The hippo lifted a barrel over his head with ease and leapt around the corner. The hyenas were caught off guard as Murray launched the barrel, taking out three of the five hyenas. The other two didn't have a chance to help their comrades, because Murray quickly rushed over and delivered two swift uppercuts.

"I still got it." Murray grinned, cracking his knuckles. Suddenly he saw a light peeking around the corner he once hid behind.

"Get over here! I think I heard something!" Knowing immediately this was a group of flashlight guards who had heard him, Murray decided to play it safe.

Murray quickly dove into an alleyway and used a stack of crates to climb to a rooftop. After taking one more look at the pin point, Murray continued toward the house. Rooftop after rooftop, Murray took out all sorts of chimpanzee and hyena guards. No one was able to hurt him, except a hyena who had taken a cheap shot with his club. But no need to worry, this hyena reached a swift and painful end.

Murray soon was in reach of his spot, only a few houses away from the palace. He stood on a normal house, right across from the one that was a little taller. Murray took out his binocucom and called Bentley. The turtle picked up, looking like he wasn't over his conversation with Sly. "It looks like you're there, Murray."

Murray nodded and said, "Yes, but I'm still not sure what I gotta do?" Bentley rolled his eyes, receiving a grin from Murray. The hippo had often forgotten what his friend told him during slide shows.

"Like I said back during the briefing, we need you to fight Sefu. But like I _also _said, he only fights people who can defeat fifty guards. Any less and he won't even look your way." Bentley seemed more serious than usual, but Murray ignored this.

"That is no hard task for the _Murray, _but I'm wondering, why do I need to take out Sefu in the first place?" Bentley laughed, realizing he had never really informed Murray of this.

"Sorry. Now, I need you to take out Sefu because he's a bigger threat than you think." Murray didn't believe him. As far as he could tell, Sefu was just an old man. "When we spring Sly's cousin, he is definitely someone we don't want around. He's extremely protective of Afolabi, so you can expect Sefu wouldn't be too fond of anyone jeopardizing his plans. Wherever Sly's cousin may be, Sefu is sure to be there to get in our way…unless we do something about that of course."

"Read you loud and clear Bentley, but I got another question." Bentley motioned for him to continue. "Speaking of the palace, what if Sly's cousin isn't in the tombs and is in the palace, how do we get him out? You said we can't steal necklaces without,"

"Please don't remind me," Bentley interrupted, "I'm taking this extremely complicated operation one step at a time. I'll worry about the palace when I have to." Bentley rubbed his head, obviously suffering from a head ache. "Sorry about that Murray, just hurry up okay?" Murray nodded and hung up.

The house across from the one he stood on had more differences besides being taller. Instead of having a wooden door, the entrance had red curtains that were being guarded by a leopard. Murray smiled. He had no disguise to sneak in, but he did have another way of getting in. Murray ran full speed and jumped off the house, arms and legs spread wide.

"The Murray flies!" The guard, when he heard Murray yell this, looked up. He had no time to fire a spear or swing his saber, because he was quickly crushed by a thunder flop from the heavy hippo. Once on his feet, Murray gave the leopard a little nudge with his foot and grinned.

Murray slowly pushed the curtains aside and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit by lanterns that dangled from the ceiling, but Murray could still see the one room well. It was rather large and was filled to the brim with guards, all of them fighting. Murray couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Everywhere he looked, guards of all sorts were beating each other's brains in. There were many tables and chairs in the room, most of them knocked over. There was also a bar, where a few of the non fighting guards were drinking their problems away.

Finally, Murray looked at the wrestling ring in the center of the room. It stood a little taller than any of the tables and was holding about twenty guards, all of them fighting as well. Luckily, everyone was so busy with their fights they didn't even notice the strange hippo walking in. Murray was unsure of what to do for a little bit, but then he noticed something odd. Near the back of the room, there was someone sitting by a table and smoking a pipe.

What made this someone so odd was the area he sat in was guard free. It was as if all the guards were avoiding him. Murray shoved past a few people to get a closer look. He watched as a leopard accidently stumbled into this person's table. The guy stood up, stepping into the lamplight. He was an elephant, a rather tall one, who wore green robes, had a hunch, and looked very old. Murray's suspicions were confirmed when the elephant grabbed the leopard by the neck.

"You pathetic whelp!"In his thoughts, Murray was saying over and over that this was definitely Sefu. "I've been watching you're fighting and it's pathetic! Your form is atrocious and taking a few cheap shots once and awhile wouldn't kill you!" Sefu then swiftly slammed the scared leopards head on his table, sending him to the floor. "Now stay away from me and get out of my sight!" After a hard kick to the side, the leopard stumbled to his feet and ran into the crowd.

Murray was a little nervous now. He began to believe Bentley that the whole "old man" thing was just a cover. The elephant, even with his old face and hunch, was at least a head taller than Murray. Feeling a little intimidated, Murray took a breath and began walking toward Sefu. After shoving his way through groups of brawling guards, Murray reached the elephant, who had returned to sitting and smoking his pipe.

Trying to look as tough as possible, Murray said, "Hey old man, are you Sefu?" In a snap, Sefu threw the pipe to the ground and stood up.

"_Old man?_I'll have you know, I'm no old man! I could crush your skull if I was a hundred times older then I am now!" Sefu suddenly stopped looking angry and started looking skeptical. He had now realized he had no idea who the hippo was. "And who are you, to walk in here and call _me _old man?"

Murray became a little nervous, but luckily he remembered the alias he had received from Bentley when they arrived. "My name is Adofo." Murray was never very good at remembering his aliases, so he practiced them in front of the mirror whenever he got the chance. "I just rolled into town, heard this place was pretty tough, thought I'd check it out." (A/N: Hooray for SpongeBob references!)

"Well what you _should _have heard is that this place is reserved for employees of Afolabi Kwala'an only." Sefu then gave Murray a little shove, forcing the hippo to hold back the urge to punch him. "So I believe it is in your best interest to leave, now."

"Not without a fight." Sefu suddenly became very serious and defensive. He took a step closer to Murray, reminding him how tall the old elephant actually was. Keeping his tough demeanor, Murray said, "I also hear that your quiet the fighter, but from the looks of it, you don't look like you could fight your way out of a bag."

Now in Murray's face, Sefu barked, "I'm warning you hippo, you're picking a fight with someone you best not be meddling with."

"Care to prove it." Sefu took a breath before stepping back. Calming himself down, he adjusted his robes and looked away from Murray.

"Very well, but I'm afraid it's not that easy." Murray already knew this, but so he wouldn't blow his cover, he raised an eyebrow as if he didn't understand. "You see, battling with me one on one is one of the greatest honors any fighter could ever receive. So, it only makes sense to earn it." He turned back to Murray and narrowed his eyes. "Defeat fifty of my men in the ring, and you have a deal." Sefu extended his hand, which Murray quickly took and shook.

In a matter of minutes, Sefu had stopped all the fighting and cleared the ring. Every inch of the floor was covered with standing guards, all looking very eager. Sefu, who stood next to Murray in the ring cleared his throat and began to speak. "Gentlemen! It seems that our new citizen here, Adofo, wants to fight me." The guards erupted with applause when he said this. "You know what that means?"

Murray tried not to laugh as Sefu and every guard shouted, "Fifty Man Challenge!" Murray was surprised as, what sounded like, a wrestling bell rang. Sefu slapped the hippo on the shoulder and exited the ring, while every guard came closer and closer.

"You ready, Murray?" Bentley's voice suddenly whispered through the earcom.

Murray looked around the ring as the first ten guards, all chimps, slowly entered through the middle rope. "Don't worry Bent, I got this." When all the guards entered, Murray took a fighting stance and shouted, "Be wary guards, for you are about to be destroyed by the wrecking ball of havoc that is the Mur…I mean the Adofo!"

"Nice save." Bentley whispered with chuckle.

The barrage of chimps all ran towards Murray, but they were no match for the hippo. He delivered punches left and right, sending four of them rolling out of the ring. With the others dazed, he took one by the arm and began swinging him over his head. Because of this, every time a chimpanzee leapt at him they'd be sent flying by their spinning comrade. Eventually the ring was clear and Murray sucker punched the chimp he held over the ropes.

With all of them gone, another wave of ten guards entered. These were all hyenas, laughing and ready to fight. Instead of waiting for one to strike, Murray took the fight to them and gave an uppercut to the nearest one. Punches flew everywhere, all hitting the hyenas painfully. Murray picked up one dazed hyena and threw him into three others, who were trying to get off the floor. In less time than it took to defeat the chimps, Murray was able to empty the ring of all guards.

"You see that old man? Twenty guards and I haven't even broken a sweat!" Murray grinned as he yelled at Sefu. The elephant looked angry as he sat at the bar. He was griping his class of rum so hard it looked like it was about to shatter.

"Go you fools!" When Sefu yelled this, ten leopard guards ran and slid into the ring.

Murray was just relived that this was hand combat match. None of the strong leopards carried a saber or a throwing spear, putting things in Murray's favor. The hippo got on the offense quickly by head butting the first guard to slide in and stand up. After Murray threw this guard out of the ring, he turned to find the leopards surrounding him. Anyone else would have been afraid, but not Murray. He had an idea.

Murray got into a ball and began rolling towards the leopards, full speed. As he gained speed a pink, glowing force field began to form around him. The leopards, all the guards watching, and Sefu watched in awe at the sight. In his ball form, Murray crashed through the group of guards, like a bowling ball through bowling pins. The guards scattered, most of them falling out of the ring. Eventually he had taken care of all of them, except one. He rolled towards the one guard and popped out the last second, delivering and uppercut on the way. The leopard flew through the air, crashing through a table on the way down.

"I see you still remember the aborigine ball form. Well done." Bentley said through the earcom, making Murray smile.

"What sort of magic was that?" Murray turned to the infuriated elephant too see the glass shatter in his hand.

"None of you business. Now bring on the next wave, I've got twenty left and I'm starting to get bored." Sefu snapped his fingers and another group of ten entered the ring.

This time, instead of all being the same, the group contained four chimps, four hyenas, and two leopards. Murray took care of the two leopards first, disposing of them by slamming their heads together. Murray cleared this next group surprisingly quickly and waited for the next wave.

The final ten entered and Murray wanted to go out with a bang. He quickly rushed over to the ropes and picked one of the tables up. With a swift throw, the table crashed into the running guards and they fell to the ground. Almost unconscious, the guards laid there as Murray climbed the ring's turnbuckle.

"Get up you weaklings!" A desperate Sefu yelled, seeing that Murray was ready to dive. The guards watching went crazy as Murray jumped, delivering one of the most powerful thunder flops ever. One by one, he threw the guards out of the ring until only a chimp was left.

Murray looked over to Sefu and held the last guard over his head. "Forty nine guards taken care of," The room fell silent as Murray threw the chimp to the elephant's feet. "And that makes fifty!"

The guards went crazy with applause. Of course they weren't happy about Murray beating their comrades, but what they witnessed was history. The only other person to ever win the fifty man challenge was Sefu himself, and that was years ago. Murray sucked in the applause and he flexed his muscles.

The moment of celebration was cut short though when Sefu entered the ring and began yelling, "Shut up! Shut up all of you! Don't cheer for this pathetic, fat, piece of," Murray stepped up and shoved Sefu hard, almost causing him to fall.

"You can call me fat or pathetic, but you can't call me a loser. I beat fifty of your men and that means I get a fight with you, one on one." Sefu desperately wanted to beat up the hippo, but he fought the urge.

After taking a few breaths and wiping the sweat from his brow, Sefu forced out the words, "Very well, just come and get me at a time of your choosing. You know where to find me." Sefu gave Murray a dirty look, silenced the last few cheerers, and exited the ring, shoving his way back to his seat in the back.

Murray's earcom crackled to life and Bentley's nasally voice was heard. "Great job, Murray! It may have been five years, but you haven't missed a beat."

Murray then whispered, "Thanks little buddy."

"No problem, now get back to the safe house a.s.a.p. Sly and I need to head out to those tombs." Murray nodded, left the ring, and exited the building.

_MISSION COMPLETE! _

A/N: Alright, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. As many of you know, Murray is my favorite Sly Cooper character, so any chance to write a chapter about him and his strength is always fun for me. Also sorry to anybody was expecting something like the last chapter. I really didn't have any mysteries to unveil in this chapter, but I can promise that the reason the Dark Low want Slytankhamen's tomb open will be revealed very, very soon. Finally, for anyone who hasn't seen it, I made a pole about what is your favorite Sly Cooper villain. The list only contains villains who haven't returned since their first appearance and have'nt died. I had an idea involving it so please vote! Okay please review, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. The characters of Afolabi Kwala'an, Sefu, and Neophron Maximus are owned by **MasterofHearts1313. **I DO own the character of Sly's cousin. Okay everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in more than a week, but I just haven't been able to get around to it. I've been working on another project, but don't worry! Lost Thief is still my top priority. Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 8**

_EPISODE: SECRETS in the SANDS  
MISSION: HACK the TOMBS _

Bentley had been waiting for several minutes. He sat at the area he had pinned pointed, hoping Sly would arrive soon. He was currently on the outer rim of the town, near the entrance. The whole town was surrounded by wall, which was only about as tall as one of the house. A few feet away from Bentley was an archway that led out of the town and into the dessert. When Sly arrived the two would head out and began their search of the tombs, but the raccoon had not yet appeared.

Bentley was by far the smartest Cooper Gang member, but he was not the best fighter. Sure he could stand up with his wheel chair spins, bombs, and sleeping darts, but he was also extremely nervous. Every time he saw a guard he pretty much had a mini heart attack before making his move. Thankfully, he had not run into any guards, but this did not lessen his worries.

Bentley, no longer able to take it, pressed his earcom and asked, "Sly, where are you? We're….a minute and half behind schedule!" After a long silence, Sly turned on his earcom.

"Relax Bentley. I'm right behind you." Bentley turned around and Sly yelled, "Boo!"

"Ahhh!" Bentley was so surprised and afraid, his wheelchair spun backwards and crashed into a house. Sly was using his cane to hang onto a flag pole sticking out of the wall. While the raccoon hung there, he laughed hysterically.

"Well it's good to see that you _really _haven't changed a bit, Bentley. Nervous, worrisome, nerdy, it's all still there." Bentley grumbled as he pulled his helmet from over his eyes and fixed his crooked glasses.

"And it's good to see that you're still annoying, late, and nonchalant about everything." Sly just laughed as he released himself from the flag pole and landed in front of Bentley.

He tapped Bentley on the helmet and said, "And you wouldn't want it any other way." Bentley then became a little suspicious of Sly. Minutes ago, he had been sulking in his room about finding Slytankhamen's tomb. He was horribly worried that the Dark Low had a plan involving the Cooper Clan, and now he was…himself. "Alright so let's get this mission started."

Now Bentley was still suspicious and asked, "Uh Sly…are you alright?" Sly looked at the turtle oddly.

"Am I alright? Of course I am! If anything, I should be asking if you're alright, considering how freaking worried you look." Sly began to walk away, but Bentley wheeled in front of him.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset about Slytankhamen's tomb….You want to talk about it." Sly closed his eyes and sighed. Bentley slapped himself, realizing Sly didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm trying not to think about it, Bentley. I really don't care about this Dark Low or end of the world stuff anymore." Sly turned around and began walking away. "I just want to get my cousin, get out of here, and pray Carmelita takes me back."

Bentley was outraged and shocked at Sly's last statement. He was one of the people who wanted the gang back together as much as Bentley, and now he wanted it all over? It didn't make sense and it bothered Bentley. "What? But Sly I thought you wanted to do this! Look, at first I thought Guru's visions were foolish too, but the more I think about it, the more I believe him. If the end of the world is indeed coming, and we're the only ones who can stop it, it's our duty to do so. And this whole thing with Slytankhamen and the rest of your family, I'm sure we can figure it out if,"

"Bentley!" The sudden raise of Sly's voice surprised Bentley, who quickly silenced himself. "I never asked for this! I wanted to get my cousin and be done with it. Ya know? Like a onetime reunion, not this crazy, saving the world adventure!" Bentley hung his head. He was angry and sad, and just couldn't force himself to face Sly. "I'm sorry Bentley, but I just want to save my cousin and leave. Once we find him, the Cooper Gang is over again and he and I head back to Paris….end of story."

"_How could you?" _Bentley said this in his head, infuriated. His sadness was gone and anger had taken control. Sly had given him false hope that the Cooper Gang was back, and now he was taking it away. All he wanted for the past five years was for him, Sly, and Murray to be family again, but Sly didn't want that. He wouldn't let Bentley have what he wanted, just like always. "_Typical Sly! Never thinks of anyone but himself!" _

Bentley suddenly gasped, receiving an odd look from Sly. Bentley was still angry, but now shocked as well. What he had just said sounded an awful lot like….like Dr.M. Bentley, sadly, realized that his old feelings were indeed resurfacing. That feeling of anger and hurt he had felt in the Cooper Vault returned, making him want to tackle Sly right then and there. But deep down, Bentley was still Bentley and knew this was wrong. He held it back, took a breath, and looked up at Sly, eyes narrowed.

"Bentley, I'm really,"

"Just start the mission." Sly and Bentley had a stare down for, what felt like, hours. After they had stared holes through each other's heads, Sly spun around and ran out the arch way and into the dessert.

Bentley used his booster and launched himself onto the wall, now able to see the beautiful sight that was the dessert. It stretched on for miles, every inch being covered by the full moon's moonlight. He also spotted four stone domes. He knew immediately that these were the entrances to the underground tombs where, he suspected, they were keeping Sly's cousin.

Obviously the dessert and domes were being patrolled so Sly stayed back, hiding in a barrel by the base of the wall. Bentley looked through his green binocucom and, thanks to his pin point, saw the first monitor. Unfortunately it was being guarded by a flash light guard, but Bentley knew what to do. The monitor was on the wall's walkway so Bentley moved closer, but still stayed out of the lights range.

Once he was about a foot away from the light, he pulled up his binocucom, aimed for the guards arm, and fired his signature sleeping dart. The green dart pierced the leopard's skin and he instantly dropped his saber and flashlight, and fell to the ground. For the finishing touch, the devious turtle rolled over and attached a bomb to him. He then rolled back, just in time to see the bomb explode. Bentley looked around and was happy to see none of the guards on the ground, or patrolling the wall, heard the explosion. With the monitor free, Bentley rolled in front of it and plugged his laptop in.

Before Bentley began his hacking, he remembered he had to give his usual run down to the last person he wanted to talk to. After letting out a moan he forced himself to call Sly via binocucom. "Sly, there are four tomb entrances. And even though these tombs are protected by the same sensor security system as Afolabi's palace, these can be turned off with the four monitors they are each connected too. I'll turn the system off for at least fifteen minutes, long enough for you to search for you cousin."

Sly, who also didn't want to talk to his friend, mumbled, "Alright." After mumbling something about Sly being ungrateful, Bentley began hacking.

As usual, the monitors screen changed from black with flashing lights, to a picture of, what looked like, a small green tank at the back of a blue tunnel. After cracking his knuckles, Bentley began typing and the green tank moved down the blue tunnel. Soon he ran into a red firewall of dots, but after he fired some hacking data at it, the wall slowly diminished to nothing. After passing the area where the firewall once was, Bentley's tank entered a large round room.

Suddenly, a bunch of red defense viruses swarmed him, but Bentley just laughed. "Geez I thought Afolabi was technological genius. This is child's play!" Bentley continued to destroy the defense viruses, which continued flowing out of the room's sides. Soon he saw a green, circular data orb. He then saw its matching green slot. The slot was at the very end of the room, right next to a sold firewall.

Knowing what to do immediately, Bentley grabbed the orb and rushed over to its slot. Firing at the viruses the whole time, he entered the data orb in its slot and the wall vanished. Behind the now gone firewall was another green slot, but this one was different. Its shape looked like it fit the tank perfectly. After destroying the viruses on his tail, Bentley slid into the slot and turned. There was a sudden beeping sound and the screen went blank.

Bentley looked up from his laptop and smirked. The nearest dome/tomb's stone entrance slid open. He then, reluctantly, pressed his earcom and said, "The first one is ready, Sly. Get in there and search the place. Meanwhile, I'll be making my way to the next monitor." Sly didn't answer but Bentley knew he heard him, considering he saw Sly hop out of his barrel. The raccoon snuck his way over to the tomb, crept up behind the guard walking around it and took him out, and then snuck in through the open entrance.

Bentley looked into the binocucom to find the next destination point. There were three others, all green and shooting up into the sky. He soon noticed the nearest one was a few feet away and at the base of the wall. Bentley rolled down the wall a little bit before jumping off, landing on the sands below. He spotted the tomb that Sly entered, which was only a few feet away from the one Bentley was about to hack.

The turtle plugged his computer into the monitor and waited for Sly. In a matter of minutes, the raccoon emerged from the tomb and shook his head, symbolizing he had not found his cousin in there. Bentley sighed and pointed to the next tomb. Sly, after looking it over, nodded and stayed put and waited for the hacking to be finished.

Bentley was in the mainframe in seconds and began to steer his miniature tank. After traveling down a tunnel a few minutes, he entered a small room and was met with several red defense viruses and two other tanks. Bentley, realizing the red takes were a bigger threat, destroyed them first before ridding himself of the viruses.

Seeing that one of the tanks had been guarding a data orb, Bentley took it and entered it into its slot. With the orb returned to its slot, a passageway was revealed and Bentley took it. He soon entered a large room, filled with two tanks and red and now orange defense viruses. At the end of the room, Bentley saw that his green slot was being blocked by a firewall. After taking a breath, Bentley swarmed in. He had taken a few hits, but he eventually emptied the room and destroyed the firewall. And even though more viruses were forming, Bentley quickly entered the tank shaped slot and finished.

This monitor's screen went blank as well while the second tomb's door slid open. Sly quickly ran over, slunk by the patrolling guards, and entered the tomb. Bentley, after looking into the binocucom, saw the next monitor was a little bit away.

He soon found the third monitor, which was surprisingly close to its tomb. Seeing that he couldn't get close without the guard's spotting him, Bentley fired two darts. The turtle was spot on and the hyena and leopard fell to the ground, sound asleep. After disposing of them with a bomb, Bentley plugged up his laptop.

Sly had just exited the second tomb, and since he could no longer see Bentley, called him via earcom. Bentley picked up and asked, "Any luck?"

Bentley could hear the disappointment in Sly's voice when he said, "Nope, not a thing. Maybe he's not here after all."

Bentley, who was already typing, answered, "Don't get discouraged. We still have two tombs left. Now make you way over here." Sly didn't reply, but Bentley knew the raccoon was on his way.

Bentley was disappointed, considering getting to the final room took him thirty seconds tops. However, when he entered the final room he saw a green data orb in the center. It was surrounded by three layers of blue defense data, but this was no match for Bentley. Dodging viruses and tank shots left and right, the turtle was eventually able to destroy the layers and grab the orb. He entered it in its slot and the wall blocking his tank slot vanished.

After his tank had entered the green pad, the screen went blank and the tomb's door slid open. Looking up from his laptop, Bentley saw that Sly had arrived. After unplugging, Bentley said, "You have this and the next tomb to search. If he's not in either, then my fears will be confirmed."

Sly, who was still giving Bentley the cold shoulder, just simply entered his tomb. Bentley was annoyed, but he continued to the next one. He spotted the next one was a few feet away and on top of the wall. A few rocket boosts later, Bentley was standing in front of the monitor.

From the wall he could see every single tomb and the desert sands. But what he was most intrigued by was the camp in the distance, which he knew was surrounding Slytankhamen's tomb. Bentley had no idea why Sly didn't want to continue their journey, or even save his ancestor's tomb. Sly's family had always been important to the Cooper, and now he just didn't seem to care. Bentley had hunch what was bothering him, but this was not the time to ponder on it.

Bentley then spotted a frowning Sly exit the third tomb. Bentley knew immediately that Sly had found nothing when the raccoon looked up at him with disappointed eyes. Bentley simply shrugged. Deep down he knew that with three tombs searched, it was very unlikely his cousin was in the fourth and final one. But, even though they had just had a fight, Sly was Bentley's friend and he didn't have the heart to tell him. Bentley eventually looked away from Sly and began typing.

The genius turtle was extremely surprised. He had never hacked into a security system so easily. And for the longest time, he actually believed that Afolabi was a "technical genius." He soon entered the final room. It was round, with three tanks on each side, and two data orbs at the very end.

Bentley couldn't help but let out a nasally laugh. "Geez! Maybe the guys were right. Perhaps I _am _giving Afolabi too much credit." Bentley continued laughing as he fired at the first tank. "Technical genius my shell! This is some of the easiest hacking I've," Bentley was then cut off by the voice of Afolabi himself.

Bentley almost fell out of his chair as Afolabi's voice caught him off guard. "Intruder alert! Back up security activated!" Bentley was feeling slightly afraid and slightly happy. He was happy to know this was simply a recording of Afolabi and not the real thing, but he was terrified of this back up security.

"Back up security system? Ugh of course! If only I'd kept my stupid mouth shut." Bentley backed his tank up. The middle of the room was spinning as something began to form. Using his earcom, Bentley said, "Sly, there has been a slight delay. Give me a few minutes."

Under his thick glasses, Bentley went wide eyed. In the middle of the round, blue room stood a huge creature. It looked so real, the turtle was a little surprised it was simply a security program. After a closer look, Bentley realized it was large, blue Scarab Beetle. The computerized Scarab Beetle had six legs, three on each side. It also had _AK,_ Afolabi's initials, on its back. The backup security system began to approach Bentley's tank, yelling "intruder" the whole time.

Bentley, having no idea how to defeat the thing, made a run for the orbs. Unfortunately, before he could grab even one of them, the Scarab Beetle shot some sort of beam at the orbs, causing a field of electricity to form around them. Unable to touch the orbs now, he faced the monster.

Bentley was clueless, but then he saw something. Afolabi's initials in the middle were glowing. With a glimmer of hope in his eyes, Bentley said, "Afolabi's initials must be above the power source. And if I get rid of those legs, I'll be able to get a closer shot!"

After destroying the pesky tanks, Bentley began firing at the first leg. After a few shots, the thin leg began to glow red an exploded. Dodging the beams that were being fired from the remaining legs, Bentley continued this destruction. Eventually every leg was gone, leaving the Scarab Beetle to try and waddle after Bentley. Finally, the green tank took a spot behind the waddling Scarab and fired. In less than five shots, the Scarab's power source was destroyed. The creature exploded and the electricity surrounding the orbs vanished.

The triumphant Bentley grabbed the two data orbs, put them in their rightful places, and finished his hacking. He looked up from his computer screen just in time to see Sly sneak into the now open tomb. Bentley unplugged his laptop and waited for Sly. With every tomb's security system hacked, Sly only had one more to search. Bentley prayed that Sly would find his cousin, because if not, then this operation was about to get allot harder.

In a few minutes Bentley saw Sly step out of the tomb. He looked up at Bentley and reluctantly shook his head. Bentley sighed and hung his head while Sly made his way to the wall. Using a pipe that connected to the side of the wall, Sly climbed up and stood next to Bentley.

Staring out into the distance and not as Sly, Bentley asked, "I suppose you didn't find anything." Bentley's words were so cold and hallow, you could tell he was still a little angry at the man who he thought was his friend.

Sly, who was also not looking at Bentley in return, nodded. "Of course not. And now that we know he's in the palace, it's gonna be impossible to get him out." Bentley knew very well it was hard, but with his brain nothing was impossible. However, he really didn't feel like talking to Sly at the moment and said absolutely nothing. Sly broke the silence as he pulled something out of his red pouch. "I did, however, find this."

Bentley, no longer able to hold it back, looked over at Sly and saw he was grasping, what looked like, a rolled up scroll. Not taking his eyes of the scroll, Bentley asked, "What is it?" Sly, ignoring his friend's question, returned the scroll to his pouch.

"Can we just go back to the safe house?" Bentley never gave Sly an answer. He just looked at him with angry eyes and leapt off the wall. He began rolling his way to the safe house, Sly right behind him

_MISSION COMPLETE!_

A/N: Okay a there are a two things I wanna apologize for. I am sorry if Sly seemed OOC in this and if this chapter was boring. Sly's sudden change of mood will be explained before this level is complete and It was a hacking mission….what did you expect? Anyways, with the third mission done, there is one round of missions before the big operation! I am so excited for the next few chapters. Soon we will be plunging deeper into the mystery surrounding the Dark Low and Sly's family. Also, I'm going to start introducing a few of my OCs. Alright guys you know the drill, please R&R, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I do not own Sly Cooper or any of its characters. The characters of Afolabi Kwala'an, Sefu and Neophron Maximus are owned by **MasterofHearts1313. **I DO own the characters of Sly's cousin, Ishan Ralaadon and any other names you might not recognize. Now before you read I'm sure you'll notice that I have not labeled what mission is in this chapter. That's because there is no mission in this chapter. Sorry, but there will be a mission in the next chapter. Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 9**

Bentley and Sly stood in the dark, empty safe house living room. It was three A.M. and Penelope, Guru and Murray had turned in for the night about an hour ago, leaving the brains and thief of the Cooper Gang alone. Mere minutes ago the two had returned from their tomb hacking mission, very annoyed.

They had left the tombs without Sly's cousin. This meant that the long lost Cooper was locked in the highly secured palace of Afolabi. However, unlike the sensors of the tombs, these couldn't be turned off. Surprisingly though, Sly and Bentley had not walked away empty handed.

Inside the final tomb Sly had found a scroll. He had taken it with him, but why Bentley didn't know. Speaking of which, Bentley didn't know anything about the scroll. Sly had taken it but hadn't said why, how, and what it contained.

Bentley was staring at the moon, thinking about scroll and Sly's sudden change of mood. He looked over his green shoulder and saw Sly was sitting at Bentley desk, the scroll unrolled in front of him. Bentley's curiosity got the best of him and he slowly rolled toward the raccoon. The sneaky turtle was soon behind Sly and was about to look over his shoulder, but Sly knew he was there. In one swift motion, the Cooper slammed the scroll shut.

Bentley let out a groan and rolled next to Sly. "Come on, Sly! In case you need reminding, I'm your friend." Extending his hand, Bentley finished, "Just let me read it."

Sly, who was staring at the closed scroll intently simply answered, "No."

"Why not?" Bentley was already annoyed at Sly, so this situation wasn't helping at all.

"Because….because it's worthless. I thought I'd nab something and this was all I grabbed." Sly looked at Bentley with, what looked like, scared eyes. "All it is is an ancient scroll with some hieroglyphics."

Bentley was now very confused. Sly was normally a very suave and good liar, but Bentley was able to see right through this fib. His shaking hands combined with his scared eyes were a dead giveaway. Bentley put his annoyance behind him and, with a kind face and tone, said, "Give me the scroll, Sly."

Sly after taking a few breaths decided it was best and handed his friend the scroll. The already scared looking Sly got up from his seat and took a few steps away. Bentley, after looking at Sly quizzically, opened the scroll. It was blank.

Bentley, even more confused than before, looked from Sly and the scroll several times before saying, "Its blank, Sly. What's wrong? Why did you take it?" Bentley became a little frightened as he watched Sly shake his head furiously.

Looking at Bentley with bug eyes, he answered, "I'll tell you, but you _can't_ say I'm crazy." Bentley quickly nodded. Whether he thought Sly was crazy or not, he needed an answer. "Okay so I went into the tomb and it was filled with treasures, but at the very end, on a pedestal, was this scroll. I got curious and opened it, but like you saw, it's blank." Sly suddenly stopped to shake his head again

"Sly, calm down! Just keep explaining it and I'll try to help." A nervous Sly stopped shaking and nodded.

He took a few more breaths, but Sly eventually continued. "I was going to leave it but….but I heard this voice. I looked around and nobody was there. And you know what Bentley, I can still hear it!" Sly collapsed on the couch and began screaming. Bentley quickly rolled over and grabbed Sly by the arms.

"Calm down!" Bentley was shouting, but it was barely above a whisper.

Sly stopped his screaming but his tone had not lowered. "You don't understand! Ever since we got here, I've been hearing this voice! I don't know who it is, but for some reason he knows me, and deep down, I think I know him." Bentley was convinced his friend was losing his mind, but he simply raised an eyebrow. "His voice it…it sounds so familiar. Like I've heard it before, but I can't figure out who it is. What's wrong with me?"

Bentley was very worried for his brother and did what he thought was most logical. "Sly, screaming isn't going to get us anywhere. Now, what has this _familiar _voice been saying to you?"

Sly sat up and looked at Bentley, tears welling in his eyes. "The first day here, it was simple stuff. He just kept saying my name, over and over again. I thought I was just hearing things, but when we found Slytankhamen's tomb this morning, it got worse." Sly started mumbling to himself. He was obviously still hearing this "voice." "He started saying Help me, Sly. And when I locked myself in my room today, I asked him who he was and….and he said I should know by now."

Bentley now knew why his friend was acting so strangely, but now was not the time to be thinking about that. "Okay, so what does that have to do with the scroll?"

"He told me to take it! He told me and I did it! I don't know why, but…but I think I trust him." Bentley was now presented with more questions, but he decided to continue his one step at a time plan.

"But Sly, if you trust this voice, why are you freaking out?" Sly looked at Bentley like the turtle was a complete idiot.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm hearing a freaking voice in my head! They put people in insane asylums for that." Sly now stood up from the couch and took the scroll from Bentley. "And you know what he keeps telling me now?" Bentley shrugged, trying to stay calm. Sly threw the scroll to the ground and whispered, "He said if I wanna read it I have to give it Cooper blood."

Bentley was now very worried, but he needed to stay collected for Sly. "So that's why you acted that way out there, with wanting to quit the team and not save Slytankhamen's tomb." Sly nodded furiously.

"I really wanna get my cousin and go. I figured since the voice started when I got here, it would stop if I left." Sly looked around, trying to make sure no one was in the room. Bentley listened closely, knowing Sly was about to tell his something that was really, really bothering him. "I'm starting to think that the Dark Low, the end of the world, the tomb, my family and this voice are all connected."

"What do you mean?"

Sly closed his eyes and fell silent. This was the calmest he'd seemed the whole conversation. "Can't you see it Bentley? This is bigger than the Fiendish Five, the Klaww Gang, and the Cooper Vault combined. We are a part of something much, much bigger and much more important than us. We can't handle it!" Sly, whose eyes were still welling, finished, "We're just a team of thieves. We can't handle saving the world! Especially when stuff like my family and this mysterious voice are involved!"

Bentley was now completely worried about Sly. He wasn't sure if Sly's words were true, or if the raccoon was just going crazy. But part of him, deep down, felt like he needed to believe him. Ever since this adventure began, they had been presented with more mysteries and questions than ever. Who were the other members of the Dark Low? Why did their end of the world plan involve Sly's cousin? What was this mysterious voice and why could Sly only hear it? These questions and so many others plagued Bentley's mind.

"You're right." When Bentley said this, Sly looked up from the spot on the floor he'd been looking at. "You're absolutely right. We are dealing with something much bigger and more important than us, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything about it. We've successfully formed the greatest gang of thieves ever and defeated Clockwerk…twice!"

Sly just rolled his eyes. "But that's nothing compared to this. During those we had answers, but now, all we've got are questions."

Bentley suddenly snatched the scroll from the ground and slammed it on the couch's coffee table. "Well, if you want answers so bad, let's look for them." Sly stopped looking so scared and freaked out so he could raise an eyebrow. "I know it's a risk, but maybe this scroll and that voice of yours have answers."

"Bentley, you actually want me to give it blood?"

"Just a drop, Sly."

The Cooper's jaw dropped. "Geez I thought I was the crazy one! You actually want me to listen to this voice, which in case you need to be reminded only I can hear and have never, ever seen." Bentley pulled the blank scroll open.

He looked at Sly, a mixture of seriousness and caring in his eyes. "You _did _say you trusted him after all."

Sly raised a finger and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sly knew Bentley was right. As much as the voice _did_ scare him, he did sometimes feel an odd sort of safety and happiness while hearing it. It was a like taking to an old friend, an old friend who he hadn't seen in a very, very long time.

Sly closed his mouth and forced a nod. He was nervous about doing anything an unknown voice said, but he was too deep in. He had already stolen the scroll on the voice's instruction, so there was no point in ignoring it. With a sigh, Sly rushed over to Bentley's desk.

The Cooper removed one of his blue gloves and grabbed a nearby tack. With a quick prick, Sly poked his index finger and watched as a little blood formed. He quickly returned to the coffee table and took a spot at the end, Bentley right next to him.

Sly held his slender finger over the scroll. He gave it a slight squeeze and watched as a single drop fell from his finger, landing in the center of the blank scroll. "Well the voice stopped," a cheerful Sly said, "But now what?"

Bentley didn't need to answer. Right after Sly asked this, the blood drop began to swerve around the scroll. It started at the very top and worked its way down, spelling out words along the way. It was a very strange sight, so strange in fact that Bentley and Sly had to blink a few times, just to make sure what they were viewing was real.

Soon the once empty scroll was now covered in words, all in old, faded black ink. Sly watched in awe as his drop of blood made the final period and sunk into the paper. Before the Cooper could even comment, Bentley snatched up the scroll and held it up to his face.

"This is amazing, Sly! Who knows how many answers this scroll may," Bentley suddenly stopped. Sly watched as an annoyed look appeared on Bentley's face. The turtle suddenly dropped the scroll back onto the table.

"What's wrong?" Sly looked down at the scroll. He desperately wanted to read its message, but he wanted to wait for Bentley.

Bentley raised an eyebrow and pointed to the scroll. "Isn't it obvious?" Sly said nothing and the turtle rolled his eyes. "This scroll isn't in Egyptian, in fact, it's not even in English, French or any other language I can understand." Bentley was looking at Sly oddly. The raccoon was looking at the words intensely, as if he understood it. "From the looks of it, this is written in a language that the writer, whoever they were, just made up."

Sly let out a chuckle. "Are you kidding me Bentley? I can read this thing fine." Sly looked up from the scroll, a very serious Bentley looking back at him.

"Sly how…how can you read it? It's just a bunch of crazy scribbles." Sly, realizing that the turtle was not kidding at all, gulped.

Sly picked up the scroll and took a closer look. "That's weird because to me it…it looks like it's in perfect English." Bentley and Sly were both equally worried and curious. But Bentley, just wanting some answers, motioned to the scroll in Sly's hands.

"Well in that case, why don't you read it aloud?" Sly gave a little nod, took a breath, and began to read the "scribbles", which to him, looked like English.

"_To Slytankhamen,  
My old friend, I believe I have made a horrible mistake. I know I am the last person you or Haji wishes to speak to, but this message is of the upmost importance. When I left our gang with Fenyang, I expected him to be the best apprentice ever. I wanted to teach him all of my abilities, because I believed he could handle it. I believed with proper training he could be the strongest mystic in all of Egypt, but I was wrong. Now he is the strongest mystic in the world, and that is not a good thing._

_As I recall, you, Haji and Fenyang were the best of friends. Seeing you three work together always warmed my heart, but now, my heart is only filled with sorrow and regret. As I trained Fenyang I very well knew he was changing. He seemed quieter and more reclusive, often running away to his room after training. But what were most odd were his new habits. Every day he read ancient spell books and would ask me rather alarming questions. However, even though he continued asking about evil curses no one should ever use, I still answered him and brushed off this odd behavior. _

_Now I realize I should've been more wary of this. I viewed you three as my sons, and I'm sure that played a vital role in the clouding of my vision. But it's too late for regrets, Slytankhamen, because Fenyang is about to do something horrible to you and Haji. He has mastered a curse so dastardly and evil, not even I have the nerve to say its name. _

_I am currently writing this in my home, battered and beaten. The boy I once called son has defeated me and is now after his brothers. You must run Slytankhamen, run as far as you and Haji can go. The friend we once called Fenyang is gone and is now a merciless monster that will stop at nothing until he uses that horrible curse. _

_I am an old man and I will never be able to reach you in time, so I'm sending this scroll by falcon. All I can do now is pray to the Gods that this message reaches you in time. Farewell Slytankhamen, for this is the last time you'll hear from me._

_From, your former master, Ishan Ralaadon"_

When Sly finished reading it took him a minute for it all to register. After a few moments of silence, he rolled up the scroll and placed it on the table. After a sigh, Sly turned to Bentley. Suddenly both of them snapped_._ Trying not to wake anyone up, they started screaming questions at each other through gritted teeth.

After about a minute of blurting out random questions, Bentley hushed Sly. "How were you able to read that? As far as I can see, that old scroll is nothing but gibberish."

Sly rolled his eyes. "More importantly, who the hell are Haji, Fenyang and this Ishan Ralaadon guy?"

"Well it's a bit obvious, Sly. From the sound of it, all three were members of Slytankhamen Cooper's Gang." Bentley held his chin thoughtfully. "And this Ishan fellow seems to be the founder, considering he refers to himself as their former master." Sly quickly rushed out of the room.

Bentley was about to chase after him, but in mere moments Sly was back from his room with the Thievious Raccoonus. He opened it and began flipping through the first section frantically, which was devoted to Slytankhamen. "That's ridiculous. The Thievious Raccoonus clearly shows that Slytankhamen was the only solo Cooper thief. The first Cooper Gang wasn't formed until Sir Galleth Cooper created the Knights of the Cooper Order."

Bentley snatched the book from Sly. "Someone seems to be forgetting that Slytankhamen's section was written millions of years ago. For all we know some pages could be missing or somebody may have tampered with it, perhaps this Fenyang fellow." Sly's eyes went wide, as if Bentley's words were blasphemy.

"You actually believe this crock?" Bentley, after mulling it over little, nodded. "Great! I'm hearing a voice and Bentley's listening to some crazy, bewitched scroll. The whole Cooper Gang is going mad I tell ya!"

"Excuse me Mister. I think this is all connected!" Sly fell silent. He knew Bentley had him cornered. "You said that everything has been connected, so why not this scroll? If it was in one of Afolabi's tombs, it's clearly important to him and the Dark Low.

Sly sat down on couch, making him eye level with Bentley. "Where you going with this, Bent?"

Bentley sighed and began flipping through the Thievius Raccoonus, stopping every time he saw a picture of one of the ancestors. "I think it's clear that the Dark Low does indeed have a plot to destroy the world. I'm not sure why, but I am sure of something else." He placed a gloved hand on Sly's shoulder. "I'm sad to tell you this Sly, but you're right about everything being connected, including your family."

Narrowing his eyes, Sly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"The Dark Low has something against the Cooper Clan. Think about it. They kidnap your cousin, Afolabi is trying to open Slytankhamen's tomb, _and_ he's hiding a scroll that contains secrets on the original Cooper Gang. I don't know what the other members are doing, but I can bet you it's all similar."

Sly much to Bentley's surprise remained calm. "What would they have against my family? Are they followers of Clockwerk?" Bentley immediately shook his head.

"I don't think so. Afolabi, even if he is part of a group bent on destroying the world, doesn't seem like the type to align with Clockwerk." Bentley adjusted his glasses and continued, "But anyways, The Dark Low wants that tomb open, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were trying to open your other ancestor's treasure troves as well."

"Well besides a whole lot of loot, I don't see why they'd want them open."

Bentley quickly pointed a finger at Sly excitedly. "Exactly! If they want to destroy the world, why would they want your family's loot?" Sly, knowing that the question was rhetorical, said nothing. "Well maybe, just maybe inside your family's troves are things that will help bringing about the apocalypse."

"What?" Bentley slightly jumped at the sudden yell. "You think that that my family wanted to end the world?"

Waving his hands back in forth, Bentley explained, "No! I don't think the Cooper Clan _ever_ wanted to end the world. I just think that the Dark Low has found use of certain objects of theirs."

"So you're saying that in each of my family's treasure….things are objects that the Dark Low needs to pull of their plan?" Bentley gave wide smile, as if his theory made perfect sense. "And how exactly are you so sure about this?"

Bentley's smile faded. "I'm not at all, but that's all I can come up with for now." Bentley rolled away and back over to the window. Looking at the moon, he said, "I'm not very sure, but I am sure that the Dark Low has a plan involving yourfamily...and thus they need a family member. They couldn't get you so they took your cousin."

There was a long silence. Bentley was thinking about how Sly would react, and Sly was thinking about everything Bentley had just said. They had just had an argument that ended with Sly saying he wanted to quit the gang once he got his cousin, but he was now having second thoughts. Like he said, this was something bigger than they ever encountered.

Though his theory was flawed, Sly believed Bentley. He believed the Dark Low wanted to end the world, he believed they needed his cousin, and he believed their dastardly plot involved the entire Cooper Clan. Where the voice or scroll tied in he didn't know, but he did know one thing. His work here wasn't over.

"So you got a plan to save my ancestor's tomb or what?" Sly asked, breaking the seemingly never ending silence. Bentley spun around, almost flinging his glasses off.

"You're staying?" Bentley tried hard to hold back his joy, but it showed right through. Sly picked up the Thievius Raccoonus and tossed it in his hands.

"Well, I don't think my dad would be too keen on me forsaking my gang or my family soooo….yeah I'm staying." Immediately Bentley rolled towards Sly, grabbing him around the waist and hugging him tightly. Sly returned the favor before the two got embarrassed and backed away, laughing their heads off.

"Sly, I'm glad you're staying because I have a whole bunch of idea on how we can save the tomb. First I think," Sly held up a hand, quieting his friend.

"There will be plenty of time to explain missions in tomorrow's slide show. Till then, I'm hitting the hay." The still excited Bentley was about to say goodnight when Sly continued. "But before that, how does the scroll and my little voice friend fit into all this?"

Bentley shrugged. "Why don't you ask that little friend of yours yourself?" The two chuckled together, but Sly suddenly stopped. He ran over and covered the turtle's mouth, shocking him the process.

"It's the voice." Sly whispered, calming down the struggling Bentley. "He's back and I need to hear what he says."After a few seconds of silence, Sly backed away from Bentley, looking more confused than ever.

Bentley, noticing the look, asked, "What did he say?" Sly looked at the scroll then back at Bentley.

"He said trust the scroll…and all will be revealed in time."

A/N: Yay Sly and Bentley made up! Also I'm sorry if this chapter freaked anyone out, what with the voice and all, but I promise you Sly is perfectly sane. The person who the voice belongs too will be revealed in the Operation of this episode…even though it's a bit obvious. Finally I edited the poll on my profile, so keep voting! Haha alright everybody please R&R, have a very Jabala Day, and **BYE!**


	10. BRIEF HIATUS

**BRIEF HIATUS**

Hey everybody. I'm sorry to say this is not a new chapter of **Sly 4: The Lost Thief. **For the next three weeks I will be in the Catskill Mountains. If you were a reader of **Murray's Past** you know what I'm talking about.

Now if you didn't read **Murray's Past**, I'll explain. This is my second year attending a theater camp up in the Catskill Mountains. I do want to grow up to be an actor so this camp is really important to me. Unfortunately the camp has no internet whatsoever. So please don't be angry, but **Lost Thief **will be going on a brief three week hiatus. I promise that when I return that I will continue this story.

Well till then faithful readers, have a very Jabala Day and **BYE!**


	11. NOT SO BRIEF HIATUS OVER

**NOT SO BREIF HIATUS OVER**

Okay to answer some people's questions, no I'm not dead. I know I said I'd be back after three weeks and I was…just no on this site. I could make allot of excuses but it's merely because 1. School work, 2. My first lead role in a musical, and 3. When I stop doing something for awhile I find it hard to get back in the swing of things. But I promise you that new chapters of **Lost Thief **are on the way. All I can hope is that my faithful readers (you guys) have stuck through the wait and have forgive me. Until the next chapter, have a very Jabala Day and **BYE! **


	12. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL READERS OF **_**SLY 4: THE LOST THIEF**_

Okay, okay I'm sure you all have many questions as to what happened to me. I went on a hiatus, came back from the hiatus saying I was back and then…..well I went on another hiatus. Trust me. I'm just as disappointed with myself as I'm sure you guys are. Nothing terrible happened that made me lose interest in writing. It was honestly just school. I'm in a high school Theatre Magnet and that consumes a lot of my time. But luckily this summer I have learned how to better manage my time. So yes, I am officially returning to the Sly fandom. I am very excited to be back and the announcement of **Sly 4: Thieves in Time** has reinvigorated me.(If you have any questions about this upcoming videogame just ask me. I literally have been scouring the internet and searching for info on it since its announcement at E3 this past June.) But now that I'm back I must make a very important decision. Should I continue Lost Thief? Leave of review please of your thoughts. I just hope that my loyal readers are around to give me a second chance. So with that have a very Jabala Day (haven't said that in a while) and **BYE!**


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